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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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[orchestral flourish unfolds]

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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[chalk scuffing]

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[horns honking]

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[sirens blaring]

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[bottle fizzes]

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[sirens wailing]

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[interviewer] Ready?

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[Greg] I don't see the interpreter.

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[Bridgetta] What's the microphone for?

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[engines roaring]

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[Jerry] I usually sign about right here.

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Yep, about right here.

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But I move a lot when I get emotional.

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[wheels clattering]

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[metallic screeching]

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[Tim] I think it's probably better
if I use my glasses.

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Okay.

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I think I can be okay without them.

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[interviewer] Everybody ready?

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Yes! Finally!

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I have a story to tell.

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[vehicle roars past]

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[distant sirens wailing]

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[abrupt silence]

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[Jerry] I was in my girlfriend's room.

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All of a sudden…

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the lights started flickering…

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[thudding reverberates]

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…and I could feel a vibration.

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Someone was kicking at the door…

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which means "Hurry up, hurry up!"

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So I went quickly to the door…

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and went downstairs
to the entrance of the campus.

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[crowd chanting]

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[percussive music]

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[reporter] We're going live
to Gallaudet University,

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where students are protesting

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because they want a say
in their school's future.

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A new president is about to be named

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and the students want
one of their own at the top.

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[abrupt silence]

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[horn honks]

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[Greg] I was on my way back from KFC.

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Eating from the bag while driving.

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[percussive music]

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I was also signing with the other hand,

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but I was dating a hearing girl,
and she was freaking out.

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She was like, "Deaf driver, oh gosh!
Eyes on the road."

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I'm like, "Chill."

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[muffled thump reverberating]

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[Greg] When I got to campus…

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[muffled thumps reverberating]

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…people were banging

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on the hood of my car.

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[reporter] Students here have been
demonstrating and waiting all day

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outside the gates of Gallaudet University,

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while inside the board of trustees
have been meeting.

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Now, if students get their way,

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the university is going to have
its first Deaf president

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in 124 years.

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[abrupt silence]

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So I was walking down the hill,
and I saw tons of people.

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[crowd cheering]

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There was all this excitement in the air.

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And I thought to myself,
"They're going to pick a Deaf person."

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[reporter] Gallaudet is the only
university for the Deaf in the world,

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and has never had a non-hearing
president in its 124-year history.

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[reporter 2] In 1864,
Abraham Lincoln signed a law

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founding the first college
in the world for Deaf students.

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It's the right time. Come on.

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[crowd clamoring]

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[electronic music]

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Someone had brought a box over.

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It was a bunch of flyers.

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Someone gave me a piece of paper.

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I saw the paper…

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picked it up, read it.

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[abrupt silence]

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[crowd shouting]

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See, I told you.

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Hearing people.

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I looked around and all of a sudden…

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[crowd shouting]

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[reporter] There's a firestorm
this evening at Gallaudet University.

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The school's board of trustees

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bypassed two Deaf candidates
for the school's presidency…

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in favor of a woman who can hear.

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I refuse to accept this.

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[reporter 2] Among the finalists,
two Deaf men,

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Harvey Corson and I. King Jordan,

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Dean of Gallaudet's College
of Arts and Sciences.

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The controversy centers
around the third candidate,

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a hearing woman, Elisabeth Zinser.

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[Jerry] It was impossible
that they chose hearing, not Deaf.

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Oh, they were so angry.

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They felt insulted.

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[Greg] They wanted violence.

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My first thought was, "control."

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They were totally out of control,
completely out of hand.

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[interviewer] I look
at footage of you then,

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and you're pretty fucking cool.

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I was a lot thinner.

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[crowd jeering]

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And so I stood up and I said,
"Hey everyone, sit down."

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And everyone did.

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[crowd murmuring]

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I am as insulted as you all

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when they tell us that Deaf people

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are not qualified!

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[crowd cheering]

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[interviewer] I see an
individual who is fired up…

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and ready to throw down.

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Were you born that way?

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[Jerry] To other people,

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I was an innocent angel,
but my parents were like, "Uh, no."

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I was a little demon from hell.

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[interviewer] Let me clarify,
you're not an angel?

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Well, I have a little bit of a halo,

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but it's tarnished a little.

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It's a little crooked.

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My father was
the best dental lab technician around.

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A lot of people went
there because of my dad,

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but they had no idea that he was Deaf.

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The lab technicians would say,

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"Oh, that's really embarrassing
to have this Deaf person work with us."

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so they put him in the basement.

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And that's where he would work every day.

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He was never allowed to sit upstairs.

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[interviewer] Was he bitter?

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[Jerry] Deaf people were
used to that back then.

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They just took it.

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But I'm not going to accept that.

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[rhythmic music]

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How upset are you?

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[crowd roars]

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How upset?

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[crowd roars deafeningly]

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Better.

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That's not gonna happen to me.

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The world can't stop us!

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[crowd cheers]

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[reporter] This controversy
has shined a spotlight

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on a group of people who have been
used to doing their business

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without the glare of publicity:

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the board of trustees
at Gallaudet University.

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I asked them
to send one person to explain to us,

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and they said, "We're busy."

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[student] Bullshit!

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[Bridgetta] The board members,

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they didn't want to have
a public confrontation,

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which means we're nothing to them.

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That's their attitude.

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So, we were like, "Where's the board?
Where is the board? Where?"

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We wanna know why!

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We want an explanation!

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But I know where
the board of trustees are.

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[vigorous music]

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[reporter] Angry students
marched to the Mayflower Hotel

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where some of the board of
trustees were scheduled to dine.

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[Jerry] I was in the front.

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I led everyone.

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I guess the students just chose me.

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[Greg] I was the student body president,

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but I was inaugurated
just a few days before.

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We can't let that happen! We can't! Can't!

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So I was pushed into the water
without knowing how to swim.

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Feels like a slap in our face.

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[Greg] A lot of people
started coming up to me.

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Like I'm responsible.

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They're looking at me as the guide, like,
"Guide me. What's next?"

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[interviewer] Who was in charge?

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I was.

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[students shouting]

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[crowd jeering]

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The board is on the 3rd floor.

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You know what they are doing?

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They're sitting around
eating this nice meal,

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making fun of the students.

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Don't let the board leave
without addressing us.

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[all yelling]

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[crowd clamoring distantly]

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[reporter] Students now have their eye
on the chairman of the board of trustees,

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Jane Bassett Spilman.

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[crowd roaring distantly]

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Ugh, that woman.

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[reporter] There's a lot of anger,
and we still don't understand,

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and it seems to me
we should have chosen a Deaf president.

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[Jerry] She was the epitome
of snobbery and wealth.

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Dressed in her Admiralty clothing.

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[reporter] You are
representing the Deaf nation.

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[crowd chanting]

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[Bridgetta] It was chaotic.

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Everybody was signing at the same time.

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[shouting intensifies]

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[Bridgetta] We needed crowd control.

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[deep thud reverberates]

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[deep thud]

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[crowd shouting angrily]

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According to DC police,
you'll be arrested.

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It's your decision.

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[Bridgetta] So I decided
to take over the stage.

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The police feel the crowd is too close.

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I need you to give us space.

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[deep rhythmic thudding]

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I hear nothing.

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I am totally deaf…

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[thudding continues faintly]

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…but I have rhythm in me.

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I know how to follow a beat.

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[rhythmic thudding intensifies]

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You can move and follow music
because you can feel it.

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["Hey Mickey" by Toni Basil]

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[Bridgetta] In high school,
I was a cheerleader.

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[music abruptly stops,
rhythmic thuds]

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[music resumes] ♪ Hey Mickey ♪

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♪ Oh, Mickey you're so fine
You're so fine, you blow my mind ♪

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00:14:42,174 --> 00:14:43,175
♪ Hey Mickey… ♪

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We had a Pac-Man dance.

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♪ Oh, Mickey you're so fine
You're so fine, you blow my mind… ♪

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There's a joke within our community.

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If you get in the car
and you turn on the radio

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and we're like, "Yeah, music, yeah…"

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and it's the news.

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[interviewer laughs]

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00:15:00,192 --> 00:15:02,402
["Hey Mickey" continues]

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00:15:02,486 --> 00:15:04,238
[Bridgetta] Movement and rhythm…

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is everything.

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00:15:08,408 --> 00:15:09,826
["Hey Mickey" drumbeat]

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Spilman out! Spilman out!

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Spilman out!

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[Bridgetta] I realized
what we needed was rhythm

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to keep everyone on the same beat.

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Spilman out!

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00:15:24,466 --> 00:15:27,261
[crowd chanting continues]

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[chanting dissipates]

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You guys are successful.

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The board will listen to you now.

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[crowd cheering]

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[Jerry] So Spilman agreed
to talk to the students.

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And the police say they'll be around her,
they'll protect her.

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I came to say, my name
is Jane Bassett Spilman.

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I'm chairman of the board
of trustees at Gallaudet.

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[young Tim] Excuse me, Jane.

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00:16:02,462 --> 00:16:04,464
Excuse me, we are not satisfied

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with the decision
that you've recently made.

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Now, you owe them an explanation…

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[Tim] When I met with Spilman,
I was angry.

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We had Deaf candidates.
We were ready for it.

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They were good candidates.

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Two to one.

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00:16:24,818 --> 00:16:26,862
Two Deaf candidates to one hearing.

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00:16:27,571 --> 00:16:31,241
[young Tim] And I think that they
should be owed an explanation by you.

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00:16:31,325 --> 00:16:33,911
Now, Tim, what you wanted me to do

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was to come down here
and talk to these people.

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[Tim] She was very prim and proper.

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00:16:38,624 --> 00:16:40,459
[Spilman] You wanted me
to talk to the students.

259
00:16:40,542 --> 00:16:43,921
Like a stereotypical lady from England.

260
00:16:44,004 --> 00:16:45,547
Like…

261
00:16:45,631 --> 00:16:48,634
if you're having a tea party.

262
00:16:50,219 --> 00:16:52,137
Let me do something.
Let's chat a minute first

263
00:16:52,221 --> 00:16:56,099
and then let's see if we can't talk
about that in a minute, okay?

264
00:16:57,184 --> 00:16:59,895
[Spilman] Now, I think it's about time

265
00:16:59,978 --> 00:17:02,814
for you all to maybe go back to Gallaudet,

266
00:17:02,898 --> 00:17:04,273
and let's have a quiet evening--

267
00:17:04,358 --> 00:17:08,654
- [student] Bullshit!
- [crowd jeering]

268
00:17:09,655 --> 00:17:12,241
Calm down.

269
00:17:12,324 --> 00:17:15,327
[student] I have a question.
I have a question.

270
00:17:15,410 --> 00:17:17,329
Can you sign? Can you sign?

271
00:17:17,412 --> 00:17:19,790
- [Spilman] No, I do not--
- [crowd roars]

272
00:17:21,375 --> 00:17:23,417
She had no understanding

273
00:17:23,919 --> 00:17:26,672
of anything related to Deaf people.

274
00:17:26,755 --> 00:17:27,631
Nothing.

275
00:17:28,464 --> 00:17:29,508
[Spilman] All right.

276
00:17:29,591 --> 00:17:31,134
[young Tim] Jane, if I could
just say something…

277
00:17:32,469 --> 00:17:35,514
So I asked, "Why?

278
00:17:36,849 --> 00:17:39,142
Why did you appoint Zinser?"

279
00:17:40,060 --> 00:17:41,645
And then she said,

280
00:17:42,229 --> 00:17:46,191
"Deaf people are not ready to function

281
00:17:46,275 --> 00:17:47,943
in a hearing world."

282
00:17:49,236 --> 00:17:50,445
What?

283
00:17:52,447 --> 00:17:54,491
Did she actually say that?

284
00:17:54,575 --> 00:17:55,868
She said that?

285
00:17:55,951 --> 00:17:59,371
And the interpreter said,
"You heard it right."

286
00:18:01,081 --> 00:18:03,166
[crowd shouting]

287
00:18:04,126 --> 00:18:07,004
[Greg] We wanted to scream out.

288
00:18:07,087 --> 00:18:09,214
[muffled shouting]

289
00:18:10,799 --> 00:18:12,885
But how do you scream out…

290
00:18:14,678 --> 00:18:16,096
in our language?

291
00:18:16,180 --> 00:18:17,848
["Fight the Power" by Public Enemy]

292
00:18:17,931 --> 00:18:20,767
[news anchor] Their world may be silent,
but their anger tonight

293
00:18:20,851 --> 00:18:22,436
is loud and clear.

294
00:18:23,061 --> 00:18:25,439
I am so damn angry
that this makes me sick.

295
00:18:26,565 --> 00:18:29,818
[news anchor 2] We talk to Dr. Zinser
from her home in Greensboro.

296
00:18:31,028 --> 00:18:33,864
[Zinser] I would want them to know
that I am privileged

297
00:18:33,947 --> 00:18:36,450
to serve as president
of that great university.

298
00:18:37,576 --> 00:18:39,453
We've waited for 124 years.

299
00:18:39,536 --> 00:18:41,705
Why, why? Hearing, why?

300
00:18:42,289 --> 00:18:45,876
I just started burning inside.

301
00:18:45,959 --> 00:18:47,211
As you can see behind me,

302
00:18:47,294 --> 00:18:49,588
several hundred Gallaudet
students have started to gather

303
00:18:49,671 --> 00:18:52,007
inside the campus gym.

304
00:18:52,716 --> 00:18:55,260
[Zinser] Having said that,
I don't think that we can look

305
00:18:55,344 --> 00:18:57,513
at one characteristic of an individual,

306
00:18:57,596 --> 00:18:58,764
Deaf or hearing,

307
00:18:58,847 --> 00:19:02,392
as being, in and of itself,
a qualification for a position.

308
00:19:03,227 --> 00:19:05,103
♪ We've got to fight the powers that be ♪

309
00:19:05,187 --> 00:19:07,022
[crowd roaring]

310
00:19:12,236 --> 00:19:13,737
[Greg] We got together in a group,

311
00:19:14,446 --> 00:19:18,200
in a small circle, discussing,
"What do we do next?"

312
00:19:19,368 --> 00:19:20,786
Something must be done,

313
00:19:21,203 --> 00:19:22,538
but what?

314
00:19:23,205 --> 00:19:25,666
Should we have a rally tomorrow or not?

315
00:19:25,999 --> 00:19:28,502
Should we do this?
No, we shouldn't do that.

316
00:19:29,503 --> 00:19:31,171
[interviewer] So what did you do?

317
00:19:33,090 --> 00:19:34,091
♪ Fight the power… ♪

318
00:19:36,510 --> 00:19:38,554
We will make many people pissed off.

319
00:19:39,179 --> 00:19:41,515
[music abruptly stops]

320
00:19:42,140 --> 00:19:44,142
[deep bass rumbling]

321
00:19:50,315 --> 00:19:52,025
[music resumes] ♪ Fight the power ♪

322
00:19:56,905 --> 00:19:58,574
Which store?

323
00:19:59,741 --> 00:20:02,619
Go to the one on Florida Street.

324
00:20:03,787 --> 00:20:06,999
[Tim] It wasn't just about
getting a Deaf president.

325
00:20:08,041 --> 00:20:09,585
It was more than that.

326
00:20:11,044 --> 00:20:13,797
Hearing people always push us down.

327
00:20:13,881 --> 00:20:16,466
["Fight the Power" continues]

328
00:20:16,550 --> 00:20:18,343
[reporter] Students claim
the board of trustees

329
00:20:18,427 --> 00:20:20,846
simply is prejudiced against Deaf people.

330
00:20:21,597 --> 00:20:23,223
Go now!

331
00:20:24,141 --> 00:20:27,728
[Jerry] The time was now to light a match.

332
00:20:28,937 --> 00:20:30,063
♪ Fight the power… ♪

333
00:20:30,147 --> 00:20:31,648
Lynda, a question before you go:

334
00:20:31,732 --> 00:20:33,650
Do the students have any chance at all

335
00:20:33,734 --> 00:20:35,360
of turning the decision around?

336
00:20:35,444 --> 00:20:36,987
According to board president Spilman

337
00:20:37,779 --> 00:20:40,908
this is a final decision.
They're not going to change their minds.

338
00:20:40,991 --> 00:20:42,117
♪ Fight the power… ♪

339
00:20:42,618 --> 00:20:45,037
[Greg] The fire ignited.

340
00:20:46,038 --> 00:20:48,373
[student] It's now or never.
We want it now.

341
00:20:48,457 --> 00:20:50,626
We want a Deaf president now.

342
00:20:51,543 --> 00:20:52,961
♪ Fight the power ♪

343
00:20:53,045 --> 00:20:55,297
♪ We've got to fight the powers that b-- ♪

344
00:20:55,380 --> 00:20:56,632
[abrupt silence]

345
00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:10,562
[faint electronic beeping]

346
00:21:14,858 --> 00:21:16,735
[Tim] My grandfather called me

347
00:21:16,818 --> 00:21:18,820
on the TTY.

348
00:21:18,904 --> 00:21:21,448
A machine that we use to make phone calls.

349
00:21:24,993 --> 00:21:27,120
GA means "go ahead,

350
00:21:27,996 --> 00:21:30,290
it's your turn to start typing."

351
00:21:31,124 --> 00:21:33,752
But he doesn't type very fast.

352
00:21:33,836 --> 00:21:36,463
[TTY beeps and keys clack]

353
00:21:39,424 --> 00:21:41,343
My grandfather said…

354
00:21:50,853 --> 00:21:52,563
Oh, Lord.

355
00:21:53,063 --> 00:21:56,942
He didn't say it,
but I know what he was thinking.

356
00:21:57,860 --> 00:21:59,236
Just accept it.

357
00:21:59,736 --> 00:22:01,321
Keep your head down.

358
00:22:03,115 --> 00:22:06,201
My parents divorced
when I was six years old.

359
00:22:08,537 --> 00:22:11,498
My father figure, really,
was my grandfather.

360
00:22:14,835 --> 00:22:18,422
He went to Columbia University
in the 1930s.

361
00:22:18,922 --> 00:22:20,757
There was no interpreter.

362
00:22:21,091 --> 00:22:22,676
He had to lip-read,

363
00:22:22,759 --> 00:22:25,804
but he graduated
with three different degrees.

364
00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:29,808
So he had very high expectations of me.

365
00:22:29,892 --> 00:22:31,560
[reflective music]

366
00:22:31,643 --> 00:22:35,272
If we were signing out in public,
he didn't like it.

367
00:22:37,191 --> 00:22:38,317
He would always tell me,

368
00:22:38,901 --> 00:22:43,822
"Sign in, like, an 18-inch box.
Nothing bigger."

369
00:22:44,406 --> 00:22:47,326
And so I was like, "Okay, let me slowly,

370
00:22:47,409 --> 00:22:50,162
gradually sign bigger and bigger."

371
00:22:51,163 --> 00:22:53,123
That was like a death wish.

372
00:22:54,750 --> 00:23:00,547
He would say, "It's very important
that you fit in to the hearing world."

373
00:23:00,631 --> 00:23:02,382
I was thinking, "Why?

374
00:23:02,466 --> 00:23:04,801
I shouldn't have to fit in
to the hearing world.

375
00:23:04,885 --> 00:23:06,595
I have my own world."

376
00:23:07,387 --> 00:23:09,431
[birds cawing]

377
00:23:27,199 --> 00:23:30,118
[reporter] On an age
sometimes driven by angry,

378
00:23:30,202 --> 00:23:31,620
noisy demonstrations…

379
00:23:33,580 --> 00:23:35,749
their protest, like their world,

380
00:23:36,208 --> 00:23:38,335
was largely one of eerie silence.

381
00:23:39,044 --> 00:23:41,463
[protesters cheering]

382
00:23:42,422 --> 00:23:46,760
[reporter] The charge made by students
at Gallaudet University for the Deaf

383
00:23:46,844 --> 00:23:50,597
is that their school administration
refuses to listen.

384
00:23:51,849 --> 00:23:53,183
And so the students

385
00:23:53,976 --> 00:23:56,019
have closed the school down.

386
00:23:56,103 --> 00:23:59,022
[rhythmic music]

387
00:23:59,648 --> 00:24:01,483
We locked all the gates.

388
00:24:03,902 --> 00:24:06,113
[Tim] And students used buses…

389
00:24:08,073 --> 00:24:10,534
to block any entrance to the campus.

390
00:24:13,412 --> 00:24:15,247
[student] Who are you? Are you security?

391
00:24:15,330 --> 00:24:17,833
Do you work here? Are you staff?

392
00:24:17,916 --> 00:24:22,337
It's almost like in the military,
you have, like, full deployment.

393
00:24:22,421 --> 00:24:23,547
You set out your base.

394
00:24:24,464 --> 00:24:28,552
[reporter] Are the students prepared
to continue blocking the entrance?

395
00:24:29,052 --> 00:24:31,555
That's for sure.

396
00:24:31,638 --> 00:24:35,517
We'd give up our soul
in order to get a Deaf president.

397
00:24:37,269 --> 00:24:39,897
We were the law of the land.

398
00:24:39,980 --> 00:24:42,733
[spirited cheering]

399
00:24:44,526 --> 00:24:46,653
[news anchor] Students are
particularly incensed

400
00:24:46,737 --> 00:24:49,740
by the university trustees'
Chairman Jane Bassett Spilman…

401
00:24:51,867 --> 00:24:55,746
who defended the selection of a president
who doesn't know sign language, saying,

402
00:24:55,829 --> 00:24:58,332
"Deaf people are not ready to function

403
00:24:58,415 --> 00:25:00,167
in the hearing world."

404
00:25:00,250 --> 00:25:02,920
[Spilman] That erroneous statement,
allegedly--

405
00:25:03,003 --> 00:25:05,797
"Deaf people cannot function
in the hearing world,"

406
00:25:05,881 --> 00:25:07,799
which is patently untrue.

407
00:25:07,883 --> 00:25:09,843
- [interviewer] You didn't say that?
- I did not say that.

408
00:25:09,927 --> 00:25:12,054
I was misinterpreted, misrepresented.

409
00:25:12,137 --> 00:25:13,597
What did you say?

410
00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:16,225
Well, I was working
through an interpreter, of course.

411
00:25:16,308 --> 00:25:21,188
And it was… [laughs]
very unique circumstances

412
00:25:21,271 --> 00:25:23,524
with the helicopters overhead

413
00:25:23,607 --> 00:25:26,568
and the thousand students
outside of the window

414
00:25:26,652 --> 00:25:27,986
screaming and yelling.

415
00:25:28,070 --> 00:25:29,988
It was a wild time.

416
00:25:30,072 --> 00:25:31,740
And so, what I said,

417
00:25:31,823 --> 00:25:35,452
I cannot tell you what I said,
because I don't remember with all of that.

418
00:25:35,536 --> 00:25:38,747
- You have a home in Bassett, Virginia.
- Three.

419
00:25:38,830 --> 00:25:40,749
[interviewer] Well, you had
three homes to run to,

420
00:25:40,832 --> 00:25:41,917
to hide from all this.

421
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:42,835
Right.

422
00:25:42,918 --> 00:25:45,629
[interviewer] Did you ever think,
"Let me get out of here"?

423
00:25:45,712 --> 00:25:46,713
Not one time.

424
00:25:47,589 --> 00:25:50,092
I'm the kind of person that believes…

425
00:25:51,885 --> 00:25:55,305
that you set your course
of what you think is right…

426
00:25:56,598 --> 00:25:59,768
and come hell or high water,
you stick by that course.

427
00:26:01,061 --> 00:26:03,605
[crowd] We want a Deaf president now!

428
00:26:03,689 --> 00:26:06,859
We want a Deaf president now!

429
00:26:06,942 --> 00:26:09,778
We want a Deaf president now!

430
00:26:10,487 --> 00:26:14,241
[administrator] The board
is very pleased to meet with you

431
00:26:14,324 --> 00:26:18,203
with one consideration, that's all,

432
00:26:19,162 --> 00:26:21,874
that you open the campus.

433
00:26:21,957 --> 00:26:23,834
[crowd] No!

434
00:26:24,334 --> 00:26:27,254
[young Tim] Deaf president first,
then we will open the campus.

435
00:26:28,046 --> 00:26:29,965
[interviewer] So the board
says they won't meet

436
00:26:30,048 --> 00:26:31,842
unless you open the campus.

437
00:26:33,594 --> 00:26:35,679
Yeah, that's what they said.

438
00:26:35,762 --> 00:26:38,390
- [administrator] Can I finish?
- [crowd jeering]

439
00:26:38,473 --> 00:26:39,308
[young Tim] No.

440
00:26:39,391 --> 00:26:41,894
[administrator] Then I guess
there's no discussion. Bye.

441
00:26:42,728 --> 00:26:45,480
If you don't wanna negotiate…

442
00:26:45,564 --> 00:26:47,232
[interviewer] So what did you say?

443
00:26:49,484 --> 00:26:52,863
[administrator] All they're asking
is that you open the campus

444
00:26:52,946 --> 00:26:55,741
- during that meeting.
- [crowd jeering]

445
00:26:55,824 --> 00:26:58,952
[news anchor] The students rejected
a trustee's offer to meet with them

446
00:26:59,036 --> 00:27:02,247
if students allowed Gallaudet to reopen.

447
00:27:02,331 --> 00:27:04,166
[news anchor 2]
Many buildings were empty.

448
00:27:04,249 --> 00:27:07,127
The chalkboards in one classroom
told the story.

449
00:27:07,211 --> 00:27:09,046
"No classes today," it said,

450
00:27:09,129 --> 00:27:11,798
calling anyone who attended a traitor.

451
00:27:14,134 --> 00:27:15,427
[Jerry] But on that Monday,

452
00:27:16,345 --> 00:27:19,014
a lot of students, they were resistant.

453
00:27:20,182 --> 00:27:22,184
They didn't want to get in trouble.

454
00:27:24,478 --> 00:27:27,814
They were scared
it was gonna hurt their grades.

455
00:27:28,398 --> 00:27:32,694
And some students didn't believe
a Deaf person could do it.

456
00:27:32,778 --> 00:27:36,990
I'd be like explaining to them, you know,
"We need to convince them."

457
00:27:37,074 --> 00:27:42,371
And they said, "No, I don't think
we can have a Deaf president.

458
00:27:42,454 --> 00:27:44,122
We can't do that."

459
00:27:45,791 --> 00:27:49,127
[Greg] That was in the back of my mind.

460
00:27:50,337 --> 00:27:51,672
I was worried sick.

461
00:27:52,631 --> 00:27:55,425
I didn't show it,
but I felt it in my stomach.

462
00:27:56,301 --> 00:27:57,970
[interviewer] Were you scared?

463
00:27:58,428 --> 00:27:59,888
Ha ha ha.

464
00:28:00,305 --> 00:28:01,139
No.

465
00:28:01,932 --> 00:28:04,810
[indistinct chatter]

466
00:28:04,893 --> 00:28:07,729
[man in suit] Who is the man
in charge of the keys?

467
00:28:09,857 --> 00:28:12,484
[administrator] If there's
a student spokesperson,

468
00:28:12,568 --> 00:28:14,194
they'll listen more to that.

469
00:28:14,278 --> 00:28:16,488
Who's the--
Who's the spokesperson?

470
00:28:16,572 --> 00:28:18,574
[rhythmic music]

471
00:28:18,657 --> 00:28:21,326
[Greg] And that's when
we decided that we needed

472
00:28:21,410 --> 00:28:22,995
to pick a leader.

473
00:28:23,579 --> 00:28:29,293
[young Tim] Okay. Now, it's time
for us here to pick a Deaf president…

474
00:28:29,376 --> 00:28:30,836
[interviewer] Describe Tim.

475
00:28:31,795 --> 00:28:34,131
Very enthusiastic, energetic.

476
00:28:34,965 --> 00:28:38,343
We would like Spilman
removed as the chair of the board.

477
00:28:38,427 --> 00:28:40,345
[Bridgetta] It was all men.

478
00:28:40,762 --> 00:28:43,682
And I kept forcing myself to jump in
because I had to.

479
00:28:45,684 --> 00:28:48,187
[young Bridgetta]
Spilman maybe has finances…

480
00:28:48,770 --> 00:28:50,230
[interviewer]
How would you describe Bridgetta?

481
00:28:50,314 --> 00:28:52,900
[young Bridgetta] …but she doesn't
really have a heart for Deaf people.

482
00:28:54,193 --> 00:28:55,027
Strong.

483
00:28:55,652 --> 00:28:57,029
[exhales]

484
00:28:58,155 --> 00:29:00,073
[Tim] A woman's liberal.

485
00:29:00,782 --> 00:29:04,703
Bridgetta would always
assert her "women's issues."

486
00:29:06,205 --> 00:29:08,457
Jerry and the other people
in the class, they were like,

487
00:29:08,540 --> 00:29:11,168
"Oh, Bridgetta's always bringing up
women's rights, women's rights."

488
00:29:11,585 --> 00:29:15,088
I support women, I'm a feminist.

489
00:29:15,672 --> 00:29:20,636
Somebody said, "If there's one lifeboat
that's full of Deaf men,

490
00:29:20,719 --> 00:29:23,388
or one lifeboat full of hearing women,

491
00:29:23,472 --> 00:29:25,974
which one would you jump into?"

492
00:29:26,058 --> 00:29:28,852
I support a female president

493
00:29:28,936 --> 00:29:30,562
but Deaf comes first.

494
00:29:30,979 --> 00:29:32,981
[interviewer] Describe Jerry.

495
00:29:36,109 --> 00:29:37,402
[rhythmic music]

496
00:29:37,486 --> 00:29:40,030
The time is now.
Enough with the oppression!

497
00:29:40,906 --> 00:29:44,117
He was so emotional. Gets mad easily.

498
00:29:44,826 --> 00:29:47,120
Punching against the wall

499
00:29:47,204 --> 00:29:49,665
instead of finding the key
to open the door.

500
00:29:49,748 --> 00:29:51,708
Greg, on the other hand…

501
00:29:53,585 --> 00:29:55,629
was the extreme opposite.

502
00:29:55,712 --> 00:29:57,631
He was more rational.

503
00:29:59,091 --> 00:30:00,884
[interviewer] What kind of person is Greg?

504
00:30:01,802 --> 00:30:03,804
You really want to get into that?

505
00:30:04,555 --> 00:30:06,056
[interviewer] Yeah.

506
00:30:08,392 --> 00:30:10,727
[Jerry] Greg is very quiet.

507
00:30:11,353 --> 00:30:13,063
He just signs small.

508
00:30:14,064 --> 00:30:16,692
[Jerry] He doesn't show
much emotion at all.

509
00:30:18,443 --> 00:30:21,446
He's not really outspoken like me.

510
00:30:22,197 --> 00:30:25,576
My energy flies from my hands
out to other people.

511
00:30:28,203 --> 00:30:30,956
[Jerry] I can rouse up an audience.

512
00:30:31,039 --> 00:30:32,833
[crowd cheering enthusiastically]

513
00:30:35,210 --> 00:30:37,004
And then we all agreed

514
00:30:37,629 --> 00:30:40,215
that Greg Hlibok would be the leader.

515
00:30:41,008 --> 00:30:44,178
We were all in agreement. No question.

516
00:30:46,722 --> 00:30:51,143
I felt that he was not the right person.

517
00:30:52,394 --> 00:30:55,022
[news anchor] Greg Hlibok was
an ordinary engineering student

518
00:30:55,105 --> 00:30:56,857
at Gallaudet University.

519
00:30:56,940 --> 00:30:59,860
He received the armband
that now symbolizes their cause.

520
00:30:59,943 --> 00:31:01,945
He is the leader of a movement.

521
00:31:02,029 --> 00:31:03,780
[crowd cheers]

522
00:31:03,864 --> 00:31:06,200
[young Greg] …live with this until we get…

523
00:31:07,159 --> 00:31:08,493
until we get it.

524
00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:14,416
I felt it was given to someone
who really didn't know the difference

525
00:31:14,499 --> 00:31:17,419
between a hole in the floor
and their asshole.

526
00:31:21,340 --> 00:31:24,343
[indistinct chatter]

527
00:31:25,552 --> 00:31:29,598
[Tim] But we knew we would lose
without a plan.

528
00:31:30,307 --> 00:31:31,975
I'm not the one making decisions,

529
00:31:32,059 --> 00:31:34,436
I'm only controlling the meeting,
and that's it.

530
00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:36,939
Meaning I will decide who speaks.

531
00:31:37,397 --> 00:31:41,818
[Tim] So we met with a lot of faculty,
staff, alumni

532
00:31:42,444 --> 00:31:45,864
who had tried for years
to get a Deaf president.

533
00:31:47,032 --> 00:31:49,952
And so they were there
to advise the students.

534
00:31:50,410 --> 00:31:52,287
So, what's next?

535
00:31:52,371 --> 00:31:54,373
What do you students plan to do?

536
00:31:54,748 --> 00:31:57,417
And so we came up with four demands. Four.

537
00:31:57,501 --> 00:31:59,962
Number one… a Deaf president.

538
00:32:00,045 --> 00:32:02,840
We'll do nothing until
we have a Deaf president.

539
00:32:03,966 --> 00:32:07,177
Two… Spilman resigns from the board.

540
00:32:08,011 --> 00:32:11,265
Three… fifty-one percent of the board
must be Deaf.

541
00:32:12,516 --> 00:32:16,019
And they strongly suggested
adding a fourth demand:

542
00:32:16,103 --> 00:32:18,021
no reprisals.

543
00:32:19,690 --> 00:32:22,484
So the students felt safer to be involved.

544
00:32:22,943 --> 00:32:26,196
We will continue to push through

545
00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,282
until the demands are met.

546
00:32:28,365 --> 00:32:30,784
That's what the students want, right?

547
00:32:31,743 --> 00:32:34,788
[Bridgetta] But most important,
we can't be divided.

548
00:32:34,872 --> 00:32:38,667
We have to stay together,
stick together, stay strong.

549
00:32:38,750 --> 00:32:42,004
Open up this-this gate here.
There'll be no problem.

550
00:32:42,087 --> 00:32:44,089
Just open up this gate.
We want this gate open.

551
00:32:44,715 --> 00:32:46,717
[young Jerry] Why should we?

552
00:32:48,927 --> 00:32:53,348
[Jerry] But then they tried to look
for another way to get into the campus.

553
00:32:58,395 --> 00:33:00,731
They secretly cut the fence…

554
00:33:02,858 --> 00:33:04,443
and they got through.

555
00:33:05,110 --> 00:33:08,197
And I can assume they were like,
"Oh, we got in."

556
00:33:08,864 --> 00:33:09,907
Then they realized

557
00:33:11,033 --> 00:33:13,577
we had locked those offices as well.

558
00:33:16,580 --> 00:33:18,332
[administrator] Can you stop that please?

559
00:33:18,415 --> 00:33:19,833
[student] No. Keep rolling.

560
00:33:19,917 --> 00:33:22,252
I'm trying to negotiate.
Can we just talk for a second?

561
00:33:23,253 --> 00:33:24,963
[Jerry] But then we were informed

562
00:33:25,714 --> 00:33:27,341
that Spilman and the board

563
00:33:28,425 --> 00:33:30,511
would be willing to talk with us.

564
00:33:47,486 --> 00:33:49,196
There's no texting.

565
00:33:53,033 --> 00:33:55,410
So how we get all the students together…

566
00:33:57,246 --> 00:33:58,872
we pull all the fire alarms.

567
00:34:00,958 --> 00:34:02,417
And everyone would know

568
00:34:03,377 --> 00:34:04,837
to go outside.

569
00:34:10,551 --> 00:34:13,469
[reflective music]

570
00:34:14,137 --> 00:34:16,431
[Greg] I remember looking out the window,

571
00:34:16,514 --> 00:34:20,060
and I could just see the sea of people.

572
00:34:23,938 --> 00:34:27,900
I mean hundreds, all over the fields,

573
00:34:27,985 --> 00:34:29,987
waiting for Spilman.

574
00:34:37,995 --> 00:34:42,206
[interviewer] In that moment,
what did Gallaudet mean to you?

575
00:34:53,927 --> 00:34:56,179
That's real interesting.

576
00:34:58,974 --> 00:35:00,809
I feel like crying.

577
00:35:05,355 --> 00:35:07,357
[scattered distant cheers]

578
00:35:12,946 --> 00:35:15,240
[Jerry] Think about it here.

579
00:35:17,326 --> 00:35:18,785
I'm an alien here.

580
00:35:20,621 --> 00:35:22,789
You're all hearing.

581
00:35:23,790 --> 00:35:26,710
[scattered cheers, whooping]

582
00:35:30,589 --> 00:35:32,799
But when I came into Gallaudet…

583
00:35:37,804 --> 00:35:41,892
it's home. It's my world.

584
00:35:41,975 --> 00:35:45,938
[reflective music continues]

585
00:35:51,401 --> 00:35:53,862
[Greg] When I went to Gallaudet
as a freshman,

586
00:35:54,738 --> 00:35:56,073
it was a mecca.

587
00:35:58,075 --> 00:36:02,162
There's students from all walks of life
who come to Gallaudet,

588
00:36:02,246 --> 00:36:04,665
and they find each other.

589
00:36:09,169 --> 00:36:13,715
[Bridgetta] International students come
from across the world to come here.

590
00:36:14,591 --> 00:36:18,011
Because there's only one
place like this in the world.

591
00:36:20,222 --> 00:36:22,975
Where Deaf people can be Deaf.

592
00:36:27,312 --> 00:36:31,441
When I got there, I felt so moved.

593
00:36:34,444 --> 00:36:36,572
It's like going to another country,

594
00:36:38,907 --> 00:36:41,493
and everyone's speaking
a different language.

595
00:36:44,997 --> 00:36:47,916
[Jerry] How can you describe
feeling comfortable,

596
00:36:48,834 --> 00:36:50,502
safe,

597
00:36:51,295 --> 00:36:53,630
like you're with your family?

598
00:36:53,714 --> 00:36:56,383
[reflective music continues]

599
00:37:04,016 --> 00:37:06,435
[Jerry] The light of the Deaf community…

600
00:37:08,061 --> 00:37:09,313
is Gallaudet.

601
00:37:14,484 --> 00:37:16,695
So we couldn't accept a leader

602
00:37:17,821 --> 00:37:20,157
who didn't understand our world.

603
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:33,128
[Greg] We were waiting for Spilman
to come into the room…

604
00:37:33,212 --> 00:37:35,214
[scattered clapping]

605
00:37:36,131 --> 00:37:38,467
…to see what she was going to say.

606
00:37:39,718 --> 00:37:41,595
When she says her first line, you listen.

607
00:37:47,184 --> 00:37:49,895
If she's not going to change the decision

608
00:37:50,437 --> 00:37:52,272
then we walk out.

609
00:38:09,248 --> 00:38:12,084
[students jeer]

610
00:38:21,176 --> 00:38:23,470
Good afternoon, everybody.

611
00:38:25,514 --> 00:38:28,767
Yesterday, the board of trustees
of Gallaudet

612
00:38:28,851 --> 00:38:30,894
selected a new president.

613
00:38:31,937 --> 00:38:35,983
In the judgment of the majority
of the board of trustees,

614
00:38:36,692 --> 00:38:41,613
Dr. Elisabeth Zinser fitted these criteria

615
00:38:41,697 --> 00:38:42,906
with the exception,

616
00:38:42,990 --> 00:38:45,868
and I will admit it is
an important exception,

617
00:38:45,951 --> 00:38:47,411
but with the exception

618
00:38:47,494 --> 00:38:52,833
of an understanding and
wide knowledge of Deafness,

619
00:38:52,916 --> 00:38:55,627
she fitted this criteria.

620
00:38:55,711 --> 00:38:57,254
However…

621
00:38:59,089 --> 00:39:04,011
this woman is deeply committed
to being a part of this institution.

622
00:39:04,094 --> 00:39:07,514
She is deeply committed to serving you

623
00:39:07,598 --> 00:39:11,393
as a fine, successful president.

624
00:39:12,853 --> 00:39:15,439
[interviewer] How would you sign
what Spilman was doing?

625
00:39:15,522 --> 00:39:18,525
This hand is the underdog.

626
00:39:19,651 --> 00:39:22,404
And this is the power.

627
00:39:23,572 --> 00:39:28,702
[Spilman] She is deeply committed
to working with you

628
00:39:28,785 --> 00:39:33,916
and being a strong advocate
for Deaf people everywhere.

629
00:39:33,999 --> 00:39:35,501
[scattered heckling]

630
00:39:35,584 --> 00:39:37,586
I just had a meeting with the board.

631
00:39:38,378 --> 00:39:42,049
They refused to meet with our demands.

632
00:39:42,132 --> 00:39:44,760
[crowd roars angrily]

633
00:39:48,972 --> 00:39:53,018
[Bridgetta] Hearing people think
that they are superior.

634
00:39:53,101 --> 00:39:56,522
[crowd continues roaring angrily]

635
00:40:00,817 --> 00:40:03,737
We actually have a word for this:

636
00:40:03,820 --> 00:40:05,322
audist.

637
00:40:05,405 --> 00:40:07,616
[angry roaring intensifies]

638
00:40:10,285 --> 00:40:14,331
[Bridgetta] Sometimes they're not aware
that they're being audist,

639
00:40:15,707 --> 00:40:18,085
but sometimes they are.

640
00:40:18,168 --> 00:40:21,547
[angry roaring continues]

641
00:40:29,471 --> 00:40:32,140
And then, somebody pulled the fire alarms.

642
00:40:33,308 --> 00:40:34,810
[abrupt silence]

643
00:40:43,318 --> 00:40:46,238
[alarm bells blaring]

644
00:40:56,832 --> 00:41:02,671
It's awfully difficult to talk
above this loud noise.

645
00:41:05,883 --> 00:41:07,843
[abrupt silence]

646
00:41:14,308 --> 00:41:16,018
124 years.

647
00:41:16,476 --> 00:41:17,561
Enough!

648
00:41:17,644 --> 00:41:19,521
- [alarm bells blaring]
- [crowd shouting]

649
00:41:21,648 --> 00:41:23,609
[abrupt silence]

650
00:41:27,154 --> 00:41:29,031
Time is now.

651
00:41:29,406 --> 00:41:31,158
No bullshit.

652
00:41:31,241 --> 00:41:34,244
- [alarm bells blaring]
- [crowd shouting]

653
00:41:36,580 --> 00:41:38,332
[abrupt silence]

654
00:41:42,294 --> 00:41:44,296
Deaf President Now

655
00:41:44,379 --> 00:41:46,632
- [alarm bells blaring]
- [crowd shouting]

656
00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:50,052
[abrupt silence]

657
00:41:50,135 --> 00:41:53,388
Not for me. Wasn't loud for me.

658
00:41:53,472 --> 00:41:55,474
[alarm bells blaring]

659
00:41:55,557 --> 00:41:59,811
[Greg] If she was able to sign,
she wouldn't have had a problem.

660
00:42:02,356 --> 00:42:04,733
[woman singing] ♪ Silent night ♪

661
00:42:04,816 --> 00:42:07,528
♪ Holy night ♪

662
00:42:08,278 --> 00:42:11,198
♪ All is calm ♪

663
00:42:11,281 --> 00:42:15,077
♪ All is bright… ♪

664
00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:18,372
[Greg] So I grew up in a Deaf environment.

665
00:42:18,455 --> 00:42:20,749
A barrier-free environment.

666
00:42:20,832 --> 00:42:25,754
♪ Holy infant so tender and mild… ♪

667
00:42:26,171 --> 00:42:29,132
[Greg] At that time,
TV didn't have captions.

668
00:42:29,216 --> 00:42:31,343
So one of the best moments of my life

669
00:42:31,426 --> 00:42:35,848
was sitting around the kitchen table,
signing with each other.

670
00:42:35,931 --> 00:42:36,932
Hours on end.

671
00:42:38,100 --> 00:42:39,852
[Greg] We'd bang on that table.

672
00:42:40,519 --> 00:42:42,604
Things have been spilled on that table,

673
00:42:42,688 --> 00:42:45,065
because when you're signing,
your hands hit things

674
00:42:45,148 --> 00:42:46,525
and spill stuff on the table.

675
00:42:48,777 --> 00:42:51,029
But growing up, my parents noticed

676
00:42:51,113 --> 00:42:53,365
I was able to hear a little bit.

677
00:42:54,157 --> 00:42:56,743
So I tried using hearing aids,

678
00:42:56,827 --> 00:42:59,371
that helped me to speak a little better.

679
00:42:59,872 --> 00:43:03,542
I could talk on the phone,
but really, I would only call my grandma.

680
00:43:03,625 --> 00:43:06,753
[reflective music]

681
00:43:06,837 --> 00:43:09,673
And somebody said, "Hello?"

682
00:43:10,716 --> 00:43:12,885
"Hello?" "Oh, I caught that."

683
00:43:12,968 --> 00:43:14,553
"How are you?" "Good."

684
00:43:14,636 --> 00:43:17,181
"How's your day? How's the weather?"

685
00:43:17,931 --> 00:43:20,225
I felt to myself like, "Oh!"

686
00:43:20,309 --> 00:43:24,146
It's kind of an ego boost, right?
"I can do this."

687
00:43:25,355 --> 00:43:28,817
And so my father said,
"You're going to a public school."

688
00:43:29,443 --> 00:43:31,945
He thought that Deaf school was less than.

689
00:43:32,029 --> 00:43:35,991
He graduated in engineering
without an interpreter.

690
00:43:36,074 --> 00:43:38,535
He just read everything by himself.

691
00:43:39,453 --> 00:43:42,039
He thought,
"It doesn't matter if you're Deaf."

692
00:43:42,122 --> 00:43:44,291
It was just, "Try to speak…

693
00:43:45,042 --> 00:43:46,627
try to lip-read…

694
00:43:47,586 --> 00:43:48,587
do your best."

695
00:43:50,255 --> 00:43:53,258
[muffled speech]

696
00:44:03,644 --> 00:44:07,439
[Greg] In the classroom,
the teacher would be speaking.

697
00:44:07,523 --> 00:44:09,483
[muffled speech]

698
00:44:12,486 --> 00:44:17,741
I would just fake nod,
to pretend like I knew what was going on.

699
00:44:19,284 --> 00:44:21,703
[muffled speech]

700
00:44:28,335 --> 00:44:31,880
[Greg] I could catch
a few words here or there.

701
00:44:31,964 --> 00:44:34,466
[faintly] Rocket.

702
00:44:34,550 --> 00:44:37,177
But then if the teacher would turn away,

703
00:44:37,261 --> 00:44:39,930
look at the blackboard and be talking,

704
00:44:40,013 --> 00:44:41,723
I wouldn't know what's going on.

705
00:44:42,182 --> 00:44:45,352
So I was told to move to the front.

706
00:44:48,522 --> 00:44:50,065
The kids would say…

707
00:44:52,526 --> 00:44:54,903
"You have broken ears."

708
00:44:58,824 --> 00:45:02,077
And so, my world became really dark.

709
00:45:04,121 --> 00:45:06,874
[muffled speech]

710
00:45:06,957 --> 00:45:08,792
[Greg] This was the hearing world…

711
00:45:08,876 --> 00:45:11,420
[reflective music]

712
00:45:14,423 --> 00:45:16,425
…and I wasn't one of them.

713
00:45:19,052 --> 00:45:20,387
[car horn honks]

714
00:45:21,096 --> 00:45:22,514
[sustained honk]

715
00:45:23,265 --> 00:45:25,017
[reporter]
Just after two o'clock this afternoon,

716
00:45:25,100 --> 00:45:28,395
the rumor spread that President Zinser
was coming to campus.

717
00:45:32,441 --> 00:45:34,401
[interviewer] So day three…

718
00:45:35,652 --> 00:45:39,072
Zinser says that she's
going to come to campus.

719
00:45:41,992 --> 00:45:44,161
How did you react to that?

720
00:45:45,913 --> 00:45:47,748
[car horns honking]

721
00:45:47,831 --> 00:45:51,126
[reporter] Hundreds of students
crowded the front gate with greetings.

722
00:45:52,461 --> 00:45:54,254
[reporter] What do you say
to your students

723
00:45:54,338 --> 00:45:56,590
who say, "We're not going to be
able to respect you"

724
00:45:56,673 --> 00:45:58,675
because you are not one of them?

725
00:45:58,759 --> 00:46:00,969
[Zinser] I believe that once
we become acquainted,

726
00:46:01,053 --> 00:46:03,597
it will be a relationship
that will be a very warm one

727
00:46:03,680 --> 00:46:05,891
and a very productive one.

728
00:46:07,726 --> 00:46:10,145
[scattered booing]

729
00:46:10,771 --> 00:46:13,440
[reporter 2] Elisabeth Zinser's
background includes undergraduate

730
00:46:13,524 --> 00:46:15,025
and masters degrees in nursing.

731
00:46:15,526 --> 00:46:17,861
But no experience with Deaf people.

732
00:46:19,821 --> 00:46:21,615
[news anchor]
Dr. Zinser, just so I understand,

733
00:46:21,698 --> 00:46:24,034
you're a trained nurse
and you have a PhD.

734
00:46:24,618 --> 00:46:26,787
To us, she wasn't qualified.

735
00:46:26,870 --> 00:46:31,083
Qualifications means you understand
Deaf culture and you're Deaf.

736
00:46:31,959 --> 00:46:34,670
[young Greg] She's not invited.
She's not welcome at this university.

737
00:46:34,753 --> 00:46:36,171
It's not her university.

738
00:46:41,218 --> 00:46:46,473
The police want to open this one gate.

739
00:46:46,807 --> 00:46:49,101
Okay, now we gotta be more careful.

740
00:46:49,184 --> 00:46:51,603
How is she planning
to get into the campus?

741
00:46:52,437 --> 00:46:53,689
[administrator] Can a cab get in?

742
00:46:54,439 --> 00:46:57,442
[young Tim] Okay, we need to see
who the people are inside the cabs,

743
00:46:57,526 --> 00:47:01,655
because the thing is, we don't want
Jane Bassett Spilman and Zinser coming in.

744
00:47:02,948 --> 00:47:06,493
[reporter] It's come to this,
students peeking through squad cars

745
00:47:06,577 --> 00:47:10,414
to see if the newly-named president
is trying to sneak onto campus.

746
00:47:11,248 --> 00:47:12,875
Stop.

747
00:47:12,958 --> 00:47:14,626
Open the trunk.

748
00:47:15,294 --> 00:47:18,088
"No Zinser. Fine.
You can go on campus."

749
00:47:18,172 --> 00:47:20,215
[news anchor] And they were
not playing Finder Keeper.

750
00:47:20,299 --> 00:47:22,176
The words were "find her, dump her!"

751
00:47:23,093 --> 00:47:25,470
We were like a secret military base,

752
00:47:25,554 --> 00:47:29,391
where you have an army with a mirror
searching under cars.

753
00:47:30,475 --> 00:47:34,021
[reporter] Only a few vehicles permitted
through student barricades.

754
00:47:35,522 --> 00:47:36,523
Stop.

755
00:47:39,985 --> 00:47:41,195
"No Zinser."

756
00:47:41,945 --> 00:47:44,031
[reporter] All day,
rumors swept the campus.

757
00:47:44,615 --> 00:47:46,575
Zinser was to be brought in
in a helicopter

758
00:47:46,658 --> 00:47:48,076
and left somewhere on campus.

759
00:47:49,077 --> 00:47:53,123
So I actually had students
run around watching the helicopter.

760
00:47:53,665 --> 00:47:57,002
If they saw it landing,
they were going to lay on the ground.

761
00:47:58,670 --> 00:48:02,925
[young Tim] We will block Zinser
from coming in, period,

762
00:48:03,008 --> 00:48:06,386
until we see a Deaf president out there.

763
00:48:06,470 --> 00:48:09,765
We will warmly welcome
that person to come in.

764
00:48:09,848 --> 00:48:12,726
That is for sure, no one else.

765
00:48:12,809 --> 00:48:15,812
[crowd cheering]

766
00:48:18,357 --> 00:48:22,110
[reporter] King Jordan,
Dean of Arts and Science at Gallaudet

767
00:48:22,194 --> 00:48:24,613
and one of the candidates
rejected for president,

768
00:48:24,696 --> 00:48:27,741
joined the protesters
to offer his support.

769
00:48:27,824 --> 00:48:29,743
I applied for the position of president.

770
00:48:29,826 --> 00:48:33,330
I'm a Deaf man.
I think it's very clear that I would like

771
00:48:33,413 --> 00:48:36,375
to see Gallaudet University
have a Deaf president.

772
00:48:36,458 --> 00:48:38,710
[crowd cheers]

773
00:48:39,878 --> 00:48:42,130
[interviewer] When you
showed up to the campus,

774
00:48:42,214 --> 00:48:44,424
honestly, honestly, honestly,

775
00:48:44,508 --> 00:48:47,010
did you believe
that the students would succeed?

776
00:48:49,847 --> 00:48:50,764
No.

777
00:48:52,224 --> 00:48:53,600
[young Jordan] Okay.

778
00:48:53,684 --> 00:48:57,229
[upbeat music]

779
00:48:57,312 --> 00:49:00,941
Hello, I'm I. King Jordan.

780
00:49:02,067 --> 00:49:05,863
I think a lot of us didn't believe
that the students would succeed.

781
00:49:05,946 --> 00:49:09,491
I'm very, very happy with the work
that's been going on

782
00:49:09,575 --> 00:49:12,411
in the last eight months.
But ready to, uh…

783
00:49:12,953 --> 00:49:15,038
[scoffs, laughs]

784
00:49:15,497 --> 00:49:18,000
[Tim] What kind of man
was I. King Jordan?

785
00:49:18,876 --> 00:49:21,712
He seemed very nice, very polite.

786
00:49:23,213 --> 00:49:25,215
The smile and the warmth.

787
00:49:26,133 --> 00:49:28,510
[young Jordan] I always try
to make the same message.

788
00:49:29,469 --> 00:49:33,223
Stop focusing on the "dis-" in disability.

789
00:49:33,849 --> 00:49:36,351
[Greg] Anyone who took
a class under him said

790
00:49:37,436 --> 00:49:39,730
that he was a great professor.

791
00:49:41,940 --> 00:49:46,737
So what you do is use the formula

792
00:49:46,820 --> 00:49:49,907
for Z Y prime minus…

793
00:49:49,990 --> 00:49:52,117
- [student] Y.
- Y prime, good.

794
00:49:52,576 --> 00:49:54,328
He was deaf…

795
00:49:56,079 --> 00:49:58,540
but not Deaf deaf.

796
00:49:59,416 --> 00:50:01,126
Now I can't hear anything.

797
00:50:01,210 --> 00:50:06,048
I mean nothing. I have no sound.

798
00:50:06,131 --> 00:50:10,469
If a jet plane was right there,
I wouldn't be able to hear it.

799
00:50:10,552 --> 00:50:12,179
- Nothing.
- [interviewer] Zero.

800
00:50:12,262 --> 00:50:14,515
Zero, zero.

801
00:50:18,393 --> 00:50:20,646
All my life, I'd been a hearing person,

802
00:50:22,022 --> 00:50:23,607
but I bought a motorcycle.

803
00:50:23,690 --> 00:50:26,235
And one night when I was riding home,

804
00:50:26,318 --> 00:50:28,862
I hit a car.

805
00:50:30,113 --> 00:50:34,034
When I woke up, there was no sound.

806
00:50:38,372 --> 00:50:42,876
I was told to go to Gallaudet
and that will help me.

807
00:50:44,002 --> 00:50:47,047
My first day, I was trying to sign,

808
00:50:47,130 --> 00:50:50,509
and some of the guys around
would make fun of me.

809
00:50:52,386 --> 00:50:57,516
In my first class,
I sat down and watched the professor…

810
00:50:59,643 --> 00:51:02,646
and he didn't even move his lips.

811
00:51:02,729 --> 00:51:04,189
He just--

812
00:51:06,275 --> 00:51:08,819
Oh, my God, how am I gonna do this?

813
00:51:14,283 --> 00:51:17,828
[Jordan] I was really the odd man out.

814
00:51:19,663 --> 00:51:24,501
We are a big family. A powerful family.
And I want…

815
00:51:24,585 --> 00:51:29,214
[Jordan] Students were very supportive
of me as president.

816
00:51:30,048 --> 00:51:35,554
But there are people in the Deaf community

817
00:51:35,637 --> 00:51:38,432
who say I'm not really Deaf.

818
00:51:38,515 --> 00:51:42,936
[young Jordan] If you are willing
to work with me,

819
00:51:43,020 --> 00:51:49,818
we can prove to the world
that Deaf people can do anything.

820
00:51:50,485 --> 00:51:51,486
Thank you.

821
00:51:53,322 --> 00:51:56,700
And there are people
in the hearing community

822
00:51:56,783 --> 00:52:01,163
who don't understand
what it's like for me to be Deaf.

823
00:52:01,246 --> 00:52:06,126
So I'm not sure I really
have one foot in each world.

824
00:52:06,210 --> 00:52:09,171
I'm… I'm teetering.

825
00:52:09,254 --> 00:52:11,548
[percussive music]

826
00:52:16,970 --> 00:52:19,681
[Zinser] Today is
the day in which I'm going to attempt

827
00:52:19,765 --> 00:52:23,185
to establish the communication
that is needed with the students

828
00:52:23,268 --> 00:52:26,230
and ask them to give me an opportunity

829
00:52:26,313 --> 00:52:28,607
to interact with them on a personal level.

830
00:52:29,650 --> 00:52:33,028
[Jordan] On Tuesday afternoon,
I got a request

831
00:52:33,111 --> 00:52:35,489
from my immediate supervisor

832
00:52:35,572 --> 00:52:39,868
to help Zinser meet
with the student leaders.

833
00:52:42,454 --> 00:52:45,791
So I went to the students

834
00:52:46,583 --> 00:52:49,044
and I told them about the phone call.

835
00:52:49,837 --> 00:52:53,590
They asked to meet with us
on campus and we said, "No."

836
00:52:54,883 --> 00:52:56,844
And they asked,
"Well, what do you want to do?"

837
00:52:56,927 --> 00:52:59,513
I said, "We'll meet,
but on a neutral territory."

838
00:53:00,347 --> 00:53:03,058
[reporter] Now, behind me,
the students are just getting the word

839
00:53:03,141 --> 00:53:05,394
that there is a meeting
between student leaders

840
00:53:05,477 --> 00:53:07,062
and Dr. Zinser.

841
00:53:07,396 --> 00:53:11,567
The students were like,
"Stay strong. Be stubborn. Fight!"

842
00:53:11,650 --> 00:53:14,653
[crowd cheering]

843
00:53:17,614 --> 00:53:21,577
[Jordan] Picture your typical cheap motel.

844
00:53:22,995 --> 00:53:24,955
[Greg] Zinser came in.

845
00:53:25,539 --> 00:53:29,459
She had a power suit on.
Dressed for success.

846
00:53:29,543 --> 00:53:33,130
Very authoritative. This gusto about her.

847
00:53:33,213 --> 00:53:37,634
[Jordan] And the whole idea was for her
to show her strength.

848
00:53:38,468 --> 00:53:40,220
"I am in charge."

849
00:53:40,304 --> 00:53:42,723
But then she started to speak.

850
00:53:42,806 --> 00:53:44,808
[abrupt silence]

851
00:54:04,828 --> 00:54:09,291
[Bridgetta] And she kept saying,
"I will do a lot of good for you.

852
00:54:10,584 --> 00:54:11,919
Don't worry.

853
00:54:12,419 --> 00:54:14,338
I'm here to help."

854
00:54:22,763 --> 00:54:25,390
[Greg] She comes from a medical background

855
00:54:25,474 --> 00:54:28,060
and so her lens

856
00:54:28,852 --> 00:54:30,604
on Deafness is…

857
00:54:31,897 --> 00:54:34,066
that there's something to fix.

858
00:54:40,489 --> 00:54:44,368
[Jerry] And it's the same old thing,
over and over…

859
00:54:45,244 --> 00:54:46,787
for years and years.

860
00:54:48,205 --> 00:54:50,165
"I need to help you.

861
00:54:51,208 --> 00:54:53,252
I need to do this for you."

862
00:54:54,461 --> 00:54:57,047
[Greg] "Let's fix your broken ears."

863
00:54:59,800 --> 00:55:02,135
There is this philosophy…

864
00:55:04,596 --> 00:55:07,224
so that the Deaf may speak.

865
00:55:09,893 --> 00:55:13,272
[Greg] It all started with
Alexander Graham Bell.

866
00:55:16,191 --> 00:55:19,903
[interviewer] I thought he was
supposed to be some American hero?

867
00:55:22,823 --> 00:55:25,409
Once you know
the other side of who he was,

868
00:55:25,492 --> 00:55:27,870
you might have a different opinion of him.

869
00:55:29,329 --> 00:55:34,251
[Jerry] His wife was Deaf.
His mother was also Deaf.

870
00:55:34,334 --> 00:55:38,881
And his biggest issue was how
society looked down upon them.

871
00:55:40,007 --> 00:55:43,677
He viewed them as something to fix.

872
00:55:45,345 --> 00:55:49,808
So he tried to enforce
this shift in Deaf education.

873
00:55:50,517 --> 00:55:53,145
[British narrator] The world
has been a silent place.

874
00:55:54,813 --> 00:55:57,191
There is no such thing as a sound.

875
00:55:57,274 --> 00:55:58,984
They don't even know what a word is.

876
00:55:59,067 --> 00:56:02,112
Without words, there can be no thoughts,

877
00:56:02,196 --> 00:56:05,449
only feelings, with nothing
to join them together.

878
00:56:05,866 --> 00:56:07,409
[Greg] When I went to school,

879
00:56:07,492 --> 00:56:11,580
they required speech class
every single day.

880
00:56:12,664 --> 00:56:15,584
[Tim] I would be in class,
and they would pull me out

881
00:56:16,376 --> 00:56:17,586
to go to speech.

882
00:56:18,378 --> 00:56:22,049
[narrator] He will have 3,000 hours
of individual speech training,

883
00:56:22,132 --> 00:56:25,260
learning the mouth movements
of the words he cannot hear.

884
00:56:26,428 --> 00:56:29,181
I had to put my hand
on the teacher's nose.

885
00:56:29,264 --> 00:56:31,517
[narrator] He is learning
to feel the breath stream

886
00:56:31,600 --> 00:56:36,063
made by different sounds, using a mirror
to recognize the lip movements.

887
00:56:36,688 --> 00:56:38,440
Pretty good. Make it tight.

888
00:56:39,441 --> 00:56:42,444
[Bridgetta] I was the poster child
for Speech Therapy Month.

889
00:56:44,363 --> 00:56:45,531
They advertised:

890
00:56:46,198 --> 00:56:49,701
"This is the girl who's going to learn
how to speak and hear."

891
00:56:50,369 --> 00:56:53,288
[narrator] With a number of devices
developed by the Bell Telephone Labs,

892
00:56:53,372 --> 00:56:56,083
the children are tested
to find the exact degree

893
00:56:56,166 --> 00:56:57,376
of their hearing loss.

894
00:56:57,459 --> 00:57:00,045
Specially trained teachers work with them.

895
00:57:01,421 --> 00:57:04,758
I would pick up my headset
with my transmitter

896
00:57:04,842 --> 00:57:07,094
that I would wear on my chest.

897
00:57:07,177 --> 00:57:08,178
[muffled chatter]

898
00:57:08,262 --> 00:57:10,180
[narrator] The microphone link
direct from the teacher

899
00:57:10,264 --> 00:57:11,640
to the children's hearing aids

900
00:57:11,723 --> 00:57:13,600
amplifies that sound they hear.

901
00:57:15,185 --> 00:57:17,187
[very muffled chatter]

902
00:57:18,272 --> 00:57:21,400
[Tim] We were forbidden
from using sign language,

903
00:57:21,483 --> 00:57:26,071
but when the teacher looked away
we would sign down low to each other

904
00:57:26,154 --> 00:57:27,823
until the teacher looked back.

905
00:57:27,906 --> 00:57:30,576
If we put a child
in a signing environment,

906
00:57:30,659 --> 00:57:32,286
he's gonna learn to sign.

907
00:57:32,369 --> 00:57:37,332
If we put a child in a talking
environment, he's going to have to talk.

908
00:57:37,749 --> 00:57:40,043
And it's not cruel to do that.

909
00:57:40,627 --> 00:57:44,173
If you signed, they would smack
your hands with a ruler.

910
00:57:46,133 --> 00:57:48,510
I was able to figure out the CH sound.

911
00:57:49,761 --> 00:57:51,138
The teachers were thrilled.

912
00:57:51,221 --> 00:57:53,390
"Oh, you can say 'ch' sound."

913
00:57:53,473 --> 00:57:55,267
Then the teacher would stop the class

914
00:57:55,350 --> 00:57:57,436
and call the other teachers
from other classrooms

915
00:57:57,519 --> 00:57:59,104
to come to the hallway

916
00:57:59,188 --> 00:58:03,066
and they were like, "Say it again.
Do you mind saying 'ch' again?"

917
00:58:03,984 --> 00:58:06,361
And everyone was like, "Wow!"

918
00:58:06,445 --> 00:58:08,822
I felt a boost of self-esteem from that.

919
00:58:09,031 --> 00:58:10,365
[silence]

920
00:58:12,534 --> 00:58:15,120
And then in the fifth grade,
I was in a play.

921
00:58:15,204 --> 00:58:16,663
A Christmas Carol.

922
00:58:17,414 --> 00:58:20,167
And there was no signing.

923
00:58:21,460 --> 00:58:23,462
It was only speech…

924
00:58:23,545 --> 00:58:25,172
[silence]

925
00:58:25,839 --> 00:58:27,466
…and some hearing people came,

926
00:58:28,383 --> 00:58:30,636
and they were giving
us a round of applause,

927
00:58:30,719 --> 00:58:33,055
as if we did an awesome job.

928
00:58:33,138 --> 00:58:34,306
I felt so good.

929
00:58:36,725 --> 00:58:38,393
And so at the end of the play,

930
00:58:39,686 --> 00:58:42,397
we were like,
"Did you understand any of that?"

931
00:58:42,481 --> 00:58:44,274
And the hearing people had said…

932
00:58:47,444 --> 00:58:51,240
[children speaking with difficulty]

933
00:58:53,325 --> 00:58:55,911
[Greg] …"We didn't understand any of it."

934
00:58:55,994 --> 00:58:59,623
[children speaking with difficulty]

935
00:59:00,666 --> 00:59:03,252
[reflective music]

936
00:59:08,715 --> 00:59:13,595
They forced us to be hearing
and think like a hearing person.

937
00:59:13,971 --> 00:59:18,517
I mAy A CrISmAs CarD.

938
00:59:19,476 --> 00:59:20,727
[teacher] I want you to pause.

939
00:59:20,811 --> 00:59:23,188
[boy] I mAy…

940
00:59:23,272 --> 00:59:25,524
[Bridgetta] Teachers
had informed my parents,

941
00:59:25,607 --> 00:59:27,943
"Your daughter is not progressing well."

942
00:59:29,111 --> 00:59:32,781
It was almost like,
"You don't hear or speak?

943
00:59:32,865 --> 00:59:34,283
You're stupid."

944
00:59:34,366 --> 00:59:39,454
[girl] KrIstIn FeL a CoW wA--

945
00:59:39,538 --> 00:59:41,290
[teacher] Okay, but you forgot part of it.

946
00:59:41,373 --> 00:59:45,294
[reflective music continues]

947
00:59:45,377 --> 00:59:48,422
[Tim] Sign language is its own language.

948
00:59:50,007 --> 00:59:52,509
Signing is so important to me.

949
00:59:54,845 --> 00:59:56,471
It's who we are.

950
00:59:58,390 --> 01:00:01,643
[Bridgetta] They view Deaf people
as something bad.

951
01:00:02,436 --> 01:00:04,062
[Jerry] As a defect,

952
01:00:04,730 --> 01:00:06,190
an error.

953
01:00:06,857 --> 01:00:08,984
As hearing impaired.

954
01:00:09,526 --> 01:00:12,696
We are not impaired.

955
01:00:12,779 --> 01:00:16,325
[abrupt silence]

956
01:00:23,874 --> 01:00:25,959
[Greg] Zinser said,

957
01:00:26,043 --> 01:00:29,129
"I will get a teacher
to teach me sign language,

958
01:00:29,213 --> 01:00:30,672
I will learn how to sign.

959
01:00:30,756 --> 01:00:33,133
I'll be able to communicate
with you in a couple of months."

960
01:00:36,011 --> 01:00:37,846
[Tim] You don't get it.

961
01:00:37,930 --> 01:00:41,058
It takes years to learn sign language.

962
01:00:42,142 --> 01:00:48,023
You have to live, sleep, eat and breathe
with Deaf people

963
01:00:48,941 --> 01:00:51,693
to understand the frustration,
and the oppression.

964
01:00:52,444 --> 01:00:56,073
Everything she said,
they said, "No, no, no."

965
01:00:56,156 --> 01:00:57,866
[Jordan] "Not acceptable, not possible.

966
01:00:57,950 --> 01:01:01,870
You can't be president of Gallaudet ever."

967
01:01:04,665 --> 01:01:06,625
I was really amazed.

968
01:01:09,753 --> 01:01:11,755
So we left.

969
01:01:11,839 --> 01:01:15,050
What she was trying to do failed.

970
01:01:16,385 --> 01:01:19,388
[crowd chatter, drum beating]

971
01:01:22,599 --> 01:01:25,060
[Greg] So we got back to campus.

972
01:01:29,231 --> 01:01:30,899
And in that moment,

973
01:01:32,484 --> 01:01:36,572
there was such a deep sense of connection.

974
01:01:38,323 --> 01:01:41,827
This sense of empowerment emerged.

975
01:01:42,452 --> 01:01:44,872
[percussive music]

976
01:01:45,247 --> 01:01:47,374
We started to believe in ourselves.

977
01:01:48,333 --> 01:01:50,878
Like, we were gonna win.

978
01:01:51,879 --> 01:01:55,048
[interpreter] The team leaders,
these are our team leaders.

979
01:01:58,260 --> 01:02:00,179
[music swells]

980
01:02:00,262 --> 01:02:02,139
We saw hope.

981
01:02:03,056 --> 01:02:06,143
[speaker] Dr. Zinser is,
I am told, en route…

982
01:02:07,728 --> 01:02:10,314
to the Press Club.

983
01:02:13,108 --> 01:02:15,736
And should be arriving shortly,

984
01:02:15,819 --> 01:02:18,655
but we didn't want
to delay you any longer,

985
01:02:18,739 --> 01:02:22,993
and Mrs. Spilman is present
to begin the proceedings.

986
01:02:24,369 --> 01:02:26,288
[car horn honks]

987
01:02:26,371 --> 01:02:30,000
[Jordan] Zinser was in the front seat,
I sat in the back seat.

988
01:02:30,083 --> 01:02:35,130
I could see her holding her phone
and talking.

989
01:02:35,214 --> 01:02:36,673
[abrupt silence]

990
01:02:38,550 --> 01:02:41,595
And I didn't have an interpreter.

991
01:02:50,604 --> 01:02:52,648
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

992
01:02:54,399 --> 01:02:56,109
The purpose of this briefing

993
01:02:56,985 --> 01:03:01,698
is for the board of trustees
of Gallaudet University

994
01:03:01,782 --> 01:03:03,367
to make a statement.

995
01:03:04,910 --> 01:03:08,038
And I say,
"You can drop me off at Gallaudet."

996
01:03:09,498 --> 01:03:11,542
And she said, "No.

997
01:03:12,668 --> 01:03:15,462
We're going to the National Press Club."

998
01:03:16,964 --> 01:03:18,715
I was locked in the car.

999
01:03:20,092 --> 01:03:23,178
- Together, we're united.
- [crowd cheers]

1000
01:03:25,931 --> 01:03:27,307
Hello, Dr. Zinser.

1001
01:03:27,933 --> 01:03:31,687
[Jordan] Much to my surprise,
my immediate supervisor

1002
01:03:31,770 --> 01:03:35,315
grabbed me and said, "Okay,
now you need to go up

1003
01:03:35,399 --> 01:03:37,568
and you need to support the board."

1004
01:03:38,777 --> 01:03:41,446
And now I would like
to introduce to you…

1005
01:03:42,322 --> 01:03:44,241
Dr. King Jordan.

1006
01:03:46,076 --> 01:03:49,288
And, King, maybe you might have
a word or two

1007
01:03:49,371 --> 01:03:51,415
you'd like to have with these people.

1008
01:03:54,960 --> 01:03:59,673
I want you to know
that I must do what's in the best interest

1009
01:03:59,756 --> 01:04:01,675
of Gallaudet University itself.

1010
01:04:02,217 --> 01:04:04,928
Therefore,
it's my responsibility as a dean

1011
01:04:05,012 --> 01:04:08,182
to give her any support
I can in that effort.

1012
01:04:08,265 --> 01:04:09,892
[abrupt silence]

1013
01:04:16,773 --> 01:04:20,027
[reporter] Are you asking students
to stop protesting?

1014
01:04:21,195 --> 01:04:23,947
This, uh-- This has been a very
difficult position for me,

1015
01:04:24,031 --> 01:04:26,241
I want you to know.

1016
01:04:26,325 --> 01:04:30,495
I regret very much
that I've become any kind of focus here.

1017
01:04:31,622 --> 01:04:33,665
[Jordan] That was really hard for me.

1018
01:04:34,291 --> 01:04:39,338
Remember, I was a dean,
so they could fire me in a minute.

1019
01:04:39,421 --> 01:04:43,217
[reporter] Do you think the time
has come for the protest to stop?

1020
01:04:46,345 --> 01:04:48,764
Yes I do, yes I do.

1021
01:04:51,517 --> 01:04:53,519
[silence]

1022
01:04:58,232 --> 01:05:02,945
I think it's time to enter
into a meaningful dialogue

1023
01:05:03,028 --> 01:05:05,614
with the new seventh
president of Gallaudet.

1024
01:05:07,115 --> 01:05:08,116
Thank you.

1025
01:05:11,537 --> 01:05:13,372
[Greg] I was in a state of shock.

1026
01:05:14,790 --> 01:05:17,292
We were trying to do a lot for him,

1027
01:05:17,793 --> 01:05:20,462
and then in this moment you pull that crap

1028
01:05:21,213 --> 01:05:22,548
and you switch sides?

1029
01:05:24,216 --> 01:05:26,510
This has been a very
difficult position for me,

1030
01:05:26,593 --> 01:05:28,220
I want you to know.

1031
01:05:29,972 --> 01:05:34,184
You're weak, so weak, look at this!

1032
01:05:35,978 --> 01:05:37,688
We're here to support you.

1033
01:05:38,021 --> 01:05:41,400
It's my responsibility as a dean
to give her any support I can

1034
01:05:41,483 --> 01:05:42,818
in that effort.

1035
01:05:42,901 --> 01:05:44,528
[Bridgetta] I felt betrayed.

1036
01:05:46,405 --> 01:05:47,573
[Greg] I thought to myself,

1037
01:05:48,532 --> 01:05:50,993
"He's not really Deaf."

1038
01:05:52,160 --> 01:05:55,622
The values that were instilled
in him through his upbringing

1039
01:05:55,706 --> 01:05:59,459
were based in a hearing world,
and that stuck with him.

1040
01:05:59,543 --> 01:06:03,046
If he was born deaf, I don't think
he would've been a traitor.

1041
01:06:03,547 --> 01:06:06,508
I was simply a candidate
for the position,

1042
01:06:06,592 --> 01:06:08,260
and because I'm Deaf,

1043
01:06:08,343 --> 01:06:13,015
then I've become more
of a focus than I should have become.

1044
01:06:15,893 --> 01:06:17,853
[news anchor] On campus,
students were kept apprised

1045
01:06:17,936 --> 01:06:19,855
of what was being said
in the news conference.

1046
01:06:22,524 --> 01:06:25,027
[Greg] It was such a low point for us.

1047
01:06:25,569 --> 01:06:28,947
[Zinser] I am expecting
the students to help to educate me

1048
01:06:29,031 --> 01:06:33,368
about Deafness and about sign,
which I am beginning to do right now.

1049
01:06:35,954 --> 01:06:37,706
[Bridgetta] They always win.

1050
01:06:40,501 --> 01:06:46,006
[Greg] For the students,
it amplified their anger.

1051
01:06:48,634 --> 01:06:50,802
[Zinser] At this point,
things are a bit out of control,

1052
01:06:50,886 --> 01:06:51,929
as you know.

1053
01:06:53,305 --> 01:06:56,433
The governance system on
the campus has broken down.

1054
01:06:56,517 --> 01:06:58,560
[crowd yelling]

1055
01:07:02,856 --> 01:07:04,900
[Zinser] If it gets
any further out of control,

1056
01:07:04,983 --> 01:07:07,653
I will have to take action
in order to bring it under control.

1057
01:07:08,570 --> 01:07:10,072
[distant siren wailing]

1058
01:07:10,155 --> 01:07:13,033
[news anchor] Our top story this evening,
members of the board of trustees

1059
01:07:13,116 --> 01:07:14,910
spent the day in planning sessions

1060
01:07:14,993 --> 01:07:18,539
aimed at a strategy to take control
of the Gallaudet campus.

1061
01:07:19,331 --> 01:07:23,627
[Bridgetta] We kept saying,
"No violence, no damage.

1062
01:07:23,710 --> 01:07:26,630
No violence, no damage."

1063
01:07:27,381 --> 01:07:30,133
Apparently, we're gonna have
to arrest a bunch of people.

1064
01:07:30,509 --> 01:07:33,178
[siren wailing]

1065
01:07:34,346 --> 01:07:37,015
[crowd chanting]

1066
01:07:37,099 --> 01:07:39,393
[Bridgetta] We already
had that stereotype,

1067
01:07:39,476 --> 01:07:41,812
"If they don't speak,
then they're stupid."

1068
01:07:42,604 --> 01:07:46,733
And so, now, do we wanna add violence?

1069
01:07:47,818 --> 01:07:49,653
Move from the sidewalk, sir.

1070
01:07:50,362 --> 01:07:52,364
[crowd yelling]

1071
01:07:53,031 --> 01:07:55,742
[Greg] The media was there
with their cameras.

1072
01:07:56,410 --> 01:08:00,414
If we'd riot, then we've lost all support.

1073
01:08:01,290 --> 01:08:04,168
We need outside support,
especially the media.

1074
01:08:04,251 --> 01:08:06,461
There are a lot of cameras on us.

1075
01:08:08,547 --> 01:08:12,342
The threats, intimidations,
demonstrations, disorders…

1076
01:08:12,426 --> 01:08:15,012
[young Tim] All that I wanna know
is what's gonna happen exactly

1077
01:08:15,095 --> 01:08:16,430
before you do anything.

1078
01:08:16,513 --> 01:08:21,310
[interviewer] This is an editorial.
"The students don't seem to understand

1079
01:08:21,393 --> 01:08:25,856
the damage that this venture
into activism may do

1080
01:08:25,939 --> 01:08:27,941
to the school's reputation."

1081
01:08:29,276 --> 01:08:32,988
So the police
struck a student in the face.

1082
01:08:33,488 --> 01:08:34,573
Whoever wrote that…

1083
01:08:36,408 --> 01:08:37,783
screw you.

1084
01:08:40,245 --> 01:08:42,247
[news anchor]
The American taxpayers, I understand,

1085
01:08:42,872 --> 01:08:45,584
are paying 75 percent
of the cost of the school.

1086
01:08:46,126 --> 01:08:49,087
What if Congress said,
"We're going to cut off federal funding

1087
01:08:49,171 --> 01:08:51,548
unless you all get back to classes"?

1088
01:08:53,634 --> 01:08:55,886
What if everything blows up…

1089
01:09:00,474 --> 01:09:03,519
to the point where Congress
withdraws funding?

1090
01:09:06,438 --> 01:09:08,232
Gallaudet will shut down.

1091
01:09:09,066 --> 01:09:11,068
[silence]

1092
01:09:16,406 --> 01:09:18,742
[distant traffic humming]

1093
01:09:21,828 --> 01:09:23,412
[Greg] By Wednesday,

1094
01:09:23,497 --> 01:09:26,124
we had lost three nights of sleep.

1095
01:09:29,211 --> 01:09:31,129
[Greg] We didn't eat a whole lot.

1096
01:09:32,965 --> 01:09:36,510
And so, people were worn out.

1097
01:09:38,595 --> 01:09:40,930
I'm sure you're feeling drained

1098
01:09:41,014 --> 01:09:43,015
so I want to keep this meeting short--

1099
01:09:45,477 --> 01:09:49,106
[Greg] Someone informed us
that we had been offered an interview

1100
01:09:49,189 --> 01:09:51,649
that evening on national TV.

1101
01:09:53,193 --> 01:09:55,696
Possibly one million viewers.

1102
01:09:56,864 --> 01:10:01,201
And so they asked me to go on air, live,

1103
01:10:01,285 --> 01:10:02,828
with Zinser.

1104
01:10:05,747 --> 01:10:07,666
[interviewer] Did you wish it was you?

1105
01:10:20,554 --> 01:10:22,306
[abrupt silence]

1106
01:10:23,724 --> 01:10:25,809
[Greg] In the limo, I was very nervous.

1107
01:10:26,935 --> 01:10:29,521
It was a huge responsibility for me.

1108
01:10:30,063 --> 01:10:33,942
This was our last chance to be heard.

1109
01:10:37,487 --> 01:10:39,531
So I put on my hearing aid.

1110
01:10:39,615 --> 01:10:41,617
[muffled traffic rumbling]

1111
01:10:48,999 --> 01:10:51,251
- [muffled siren wailing]
- [Greg] I like to hear

1112
01:10:51,335 --> 01:10:55,005
because I like to have
that surrounding awareness.

1113
01:10:58,342 --> 01:11:00,552
[crew] Okay, we're coming up
on one minute to air.

1114
01:11:01,220 --> 01:11:06,683
[crew chattering]

1115
01:11:06,767 --> 01:11:09,311
- [man] You let me know when you're ready?
- [man 2] We're rolling.

1116
01:11:11,438 --> 01:11:14,274
[muffled chatter]

1117
01:11:29,206 --> 01:11:32,793
[news anchor] The charge made by students
at Gallaudet University for the Deaf

1118
01:11:32,876 --> 01:11:37,130
is that their school administration
refuses to listen,

1119
01:11:37,214 --> 01:11:40,008
and so the students have
closed the school down.

1120
01:11:40,425 --> 01:11:43,512
[Bridgetta] I was with
my friends in my dorm.

1121
01:11:43,595 --> 01:11:47,140
Many students were
together in multiple rooms.

1122
01:11:47,558 --> 01:11:50,310
[news anchor] She will be
among our guests, and so too

1123
01:11:50,394 --> 01:11:54,147
will be the president of the Gallaudet
student body, Greg Hlibok.

1124
01:11:54,523 --> 01:11:57,818
[crew] Nine, eight, seven, six…

1125
01:11:57,901 --> 01:12:02,656
[muffled] …five, four, three, two, one.

1126
01:12:02,739 --> 01:12:04,449
[muffled chatter]

1127
01:12:04,533 --> 01:12:05,450
[man] And into it.

1128
01:12:05,534 --> 01:12:08,287
[Nightline theme plays]

1129
01:12:08,370 --> 01:12:11,331
[announcer] This is ABC News Nightline,

1130
01:12:11,415 --> 01:12:14,626
reporting from Washington, Ted Koppel.

1131
01:12:16,003 --> 01:12:18,547
You may find it momentarily distracting,

1132
01:12:18,630 --> 01:12:20,507
but if ever the content of a program

1133
01:12:20,591 --> 01:12:23,760
ought to be accessible
to the nation's hearing impaired,

1134
01:12:23,844 --> 01:12:25,679
this one tonight is it.

1135
01:12:25,762 --> 01:12:28,015
A great many Deaf
or hearing impaired people

1136
01:12:28,098 --> 01:12:33,103
don't have access to a closed caption set,
so tonight you can all read along.

1137
01:12:39,067 --> 01:12:40,819
[man] We're live in 90 seconds.

1138
01:12:41,570 --> 01:12:44,531
[Greg] There were just so many
things to think about,

1139
01:12:44,615 --> 01:12:47,159
all these thoughts were
flying around in my head.

1140
01:12:48,118 --> 01:12:51,079
And then the media relations
were giving me feedback,

1141
01:12:51,413 --> 01:12:54,041
and there was makeup,
and everyone's tapping me.

1142
01:12:56,251 --> 01:12:59,838
And I was like,
"No, no, no, this is too much.

1143
01:13:01,465 --> 01:13:02,799
I just need to focus."

1144
01:13:02,883 --> 01:13:04,676
[muffled crew chatter]

1145
01:13:04,760 --> 01:13:06,762
[chaotic music]

1146
01:13:06,845 --> 01:13:08,639
[Greg] Then I told myself…

1147
01:13:11,391 --> 01:13:13,143
"I'm Deaf.

1148
01:13:14,645 --> 01:13:16,063
That's who I am.

1149
01:13:16,897 --> 01:13:18,524
All that I can do…"

1150
01:13:18,607 --> 01:13:20,275
[crew counting down]

1151
01:13:20,359 --> 01:13:21,527
[Greg] "…is be myself."

1152
01:13:21,610 --> 01:13:25,656
- [crew] Four, three, two, one.
- [overlapping voices]

1153
01:13:25,739 --> 01:13:27,574
[abrupt silence]

1154
01:13:55,978 --> 01:13:57,271
[Koppel] Dr. Zinser…

1155
01:13:57,354 --> 01:13:59,606
doesn't there come
a point where you have to say

1156
01:13:59,690 --> 01:14:02,109
the university has got
to be able to do its business,

1157
01:14:02,192 --> 01:14:05,529
and if it can't do it with me, it's gonna
have to do it with someone else?

1158
01:14:05,612 --> 01:14:07,322
I believe at the present time

1159
01:14:07,406 --> 01:14:10,450
that a very strong sentiment
is being sent to me

1160
01:14:10,534 --> 01:14:13,287
with regard to asking me to step down

1161
01:14:13,370 --> 01:14:17,332
but I am not convinced at this
point that that is uniform.

1162
01:14:17,416 --> 01:14:20,377
I've had many indications of support…

1163
01:14:20,460 --> 01:14:22,129
[interviewer] How did Zinser do?

1164
01:14:23,714 --> 01:14:25,424
[Jerry] She was very professional.

1165
01:14:25,507 --> 01:14:28,635
I have had indications
of support from King Jordan.

1166
01:14:28,719 --> 01:14:29,970
Very calm.

1167
01:14:30,053 --> 01:14:31,972
Now, Greg, let me ask you this.

1168
01:14:32,055 --> 01:14:33,432
Would you be prepared

1169
01:14:33,515 --> 01:14:36,143
to create some kind of a solution
that will be to everyone's benefit?

1170
01:14:36,226 --> 01:14:37,686
What's happening now is to no one's.

1171
01:14:38,478 --> 01:14:39,938
Okay, Ted, um…

1172
01:14:41,815 --> 01:14:43,901
my remarks now are addressed to Dr. Zinser

1173
01:14:43,984 --> 01:14:47,321
because I really feel it's important
to address what she said.

1174
01:14:47,404 --> 01:14:50,115
Well, let me ask you
to be a little more directly responsive

1175
01:14:50,199 --> 01:14:52,117
to the question that I asked you,
and that is,

1176
01:14:52,201 --> 01:14:54,286
since there's been
all this talk about dialogue,

1177
01:14:54,369 --> 01:14:57,539
would it be possible
for example tomorrow, for you…

1178
01:14:57,623 --> 01:14:59,124
[interviewer] How did Greg do?

1179
01:15:00,459 --> 01:15:01,543
It was almost like,

1180
01:15:01,627 --> 01:15:05,297
"You're talking about me,
and I'm on national TV…"

1181
01:15:05,964 --> 01:15:07,341
He was insecure.

1182
01:15:08,300 --> 01:15:10,594
[Koppel] …to sit down and
try and work something out.

1183
01:15:10,677 --> 01:15:12,804
We're coming to the end
of the school year,

1184
01:15:12,888 --> 01:15:15,516
I'm sure a lot of people's lives
are being disrupted here.

1185
01:15:15,599 --> 01:15:18,644
Cannot something be done
by dialogue, even at this point?

1186
01:15:19,895 --> 01:15:23,482
[Greg] I was sitting, and I was thinking,
"This is really not good."

1187
01:15:24,525 --> 01:15:26,109
Maybe I was just scared.

1188
01:15:26,193 --> 01:15:28,820
[Zinser] So I'm committed
to assuming the responsibilities

1189
01:15:28,904 --> 01:15:31,573
that I agreed to assume last Sunday night,

1190
01:15:31,657 --> 01:15:37,120
until such time as the board of trustees
may elect to ask me to step aside…

1191
01:15:38,080 --> 01:15:39,623
[Jerry] He just took it.

1192
01:15:40,040 --> 01:15:44,002
[Zinser] …I've taken the position,
having been invited to serve as president…

1193
01:15:44,086 --> 01:15:48,257
[Jerry] His mentality was
the same as most Deaf people.

1194
01:15:50,092 --> 01:15:51,468
[Jerry] Just like my father.

1195
01:15:53,345 --> 01:15:56,390
"You're gonna put me in the basement?
Fine."

1196
01:15:58,725 --> 01:16:00,352
He just accepted it.

1197
01:16:03,647 --> 01:16:05,148
[Jerry] It's just habit.

1198
01:16:06,233 --> 01:16:08,944
They've just taken it so long,

1199
01:16:09,027 --> 01:16:11,488
and they have this strong belief,

1200
01:16:11,572 --> 01:16:14,741
Deaf people are not capable of anything.

1201
01:16:15,534 --> 01:16:17,494
Do what you're told.

1202
01:16:17,578 --> 01:16:18,912
Stay where you are.

1203
01:16:18,996 --> 01:16:22,291
They internalize being told
they can't their whole life.

1204
01:16:22,374 --> 01:16:24,793
And that's why that word, "can't"…

1205
01:16:24,877 --> 01:16:26,336
[abrupt silence]

1206
01:16:26,420 --> 01:16:28,839
…it's just stuck in their heads.

1207
01:16:29,882 --> 01:16:31,341
[silence]

1208
01:16:35,053 --> 01:16:35,971
[Koppel] Dr. Zinser,

1209
01:16:36,054 --> 01:16:39,183
I know you can understand it,
because you're an empathetic person.

1210
01:16:39,266 --> 01:16:41,059
Can you understand it to the point

1211
01:16:41,143 --> 01:16:42,519
that you might even say,

1212
01:16:42,603 --> 01:16:44,021
"If it's that important

1213
01:16:44,104 --> 01:16:45,689
to all these people, I would step down"?

1214
01:16:45,772 --> 01:16:48,901
The board of trustees
has the authority to make a judgment

1215
01:16:48,984 --> 01:16:52,279
about who should be the next president.
I'm not in a position to do that.

1216
01:16:52,362 --> 01:16:53,864
[Koppel] Down to the last 30 seconds.

1217
01:16:53,947 --> 01:16:55,616
Thank you, Ted. I do believe

1218
01:16:55,699 --> 01:16:57,701
that Deaf individuals
have great capacities--

1219
01:16:57,784 --> 01:16:58,994
Then prove it!

1220
01:17:01,997 --> 01:17:04,208
May I finish--
May I finish my statement?

1221
01:17:07,878 --> 01:17:11,673
I truly believe-- I believe very strongly

1222
01:17:11,757 --> 01:17:13,300
that a Deaf individual one day--

1223
01:17:13,383 --> 01:17:16,136
No, that's old news.
I'm tired of that statement.

1224
01:17:16,220 --> 01:17:18,597
"One day," again and again.
"Someday, a Deaf person…"

1225
01:17:18,680 --> 01:17:20,015
We've gotta break this cycle.

1226
01:17:21,266 --> 01:17:23,685
We've been hearing this for 124 years.

1227
01:17:23,769 --> 01:17:25,562
We're getting tired
of hearing this statement.

1228
01:17:26,188 --> 01:17:28,023
And then he finally started to speak up.

1229
01:17:28,106 --> 01:17:29,233
This is just a cycle.

1230
01:17:29,316 --> 01:17:32,152
Every time a new president
comes in, they say, "Well, one day."

1231
01:17:32,236 --> 01:17:34,404
Past presidents have
always said that. "Someday…"

1232
01:17:34,488 --> 01:17:36,823
[Koppel] I'll tell you what, yeah,
we're gonna go over a little bit.

1233
01:17:36,907 --> 01:17:39,368
Dr. Zinser needs to have
a chance to respond to this.

1234
01:17:39,451 --> 01:17:42,996
Thank you, Ted. I want to indicate
that the university deserves

1235
01:17:43,080 --> 01:17:46,208
to have the continuing
strength into the future,

1236
01:17:46,291 --> 01:17:48,085
- whether--
- [young Greg] Excuse me.

1237
01:17:49,086 --> 01:17:53,173
Are you implying that a Deaf person
can't continue that for the future?

1238
01:17:53,257 --> 01:17:55,008
[Zinser] Not at all.

1239
01:17:55,968 --> 01:17:59,763
Greg, I apologize for making
a statement that aggravated you.

1240
01:18:00,430 --> 01:18:03,350
His signing got much more emotional.

1241
01:18:04,726 --> 01:18:06,979
So this shows that the past presidents

1242
01:18:07,062 --> 01:18:10,232
have failed then, if they haven't
provided any Deaf leaders.

1243
01:18:10,315 --> 01:18:11,775
[Jerry] He found his voice.

1244
01:18:11,859 --> 01:18:14,111
Okay, remember,
the board's got 17 hearing people.

1245
01:18:14,528 --> 01:18:16,655
Almost all of them cannot sign at all.

1246
01:18:16,738 --> 01:18:18,782
All of them don't know
anything about Deaf people.

1247
01:18:18,866 --> 01:18:22,703
They come in and meet, three times a year,
they vote on things, and then leave.

1248
01:18:22,786 --> 01:18:25,122
I want to be as Deaf as I can be.

1249
01:18:25,205 --> 01:18:27,040
They don't know anything about Deafness

1250
01:18:27,124 --> 01:18:29,543
so Dr. Zinser should not
follow the board of trustees.

1251
01:18:29,626 --> 01:18:33,463
They should follow what our demands
and desires are because we know.

1252
01:18:33,547 --> 01:18:35,424
[Koppel] All right, folks,
I'm afraid we really do

1253
01:18:35,507 --> 01:18:37,467
have to bring this
to a conclusion right now.

1254
01:18:37,551 --> 01:18:39,469
That's our report for tonight,
I'm Ted Kop--

1255
01:18:39,553 --> 01:18:40,971
[abrupt silence]

1256
01:18:51,440 --> 01:18:52,941
[birds chirping]

1257
01:19:19,134 --> 01:19:20,802
[car horn honking]

1258
01:19:23,472 --> 01:19:24,765
[car horn honking]

1259
01:19:24,848 --> 01:19:28,352
["Mr. Blue Sky" by ELO]

1260
01:19:28,435 --> 01:19:30,604
[multiple car horns honking]

1261
01:19:31,230 --> 01:19:34,399
[car horns continue honking]

1262
01:19:35,943 --> 01:19:40,781
♪ Sun is shinin' in the sky
There ain't a cloud in sight… ♪

1263
01:19:40,864 --> 01:19:44,159
[news anchor] Students gain strength
as car horns they can't hear

1264
01:19:44,243 --> 01:19:45,911
blare support for their cause.

1265
01:19:45,994 --> 01:19:48,247
♪ And don't you know
It's a beautiful… ♪

1266
01:19:48,330 --> 01:19:51,083
People were waving out their windows.

1267
01:19:52,543 --> 01:19:56,630
♪ Runnin' down the avenue
See how the sun-- ♪

1268
01:19:56,713 --> 01:19:59,800
- [microphone thuds, music stops]
- It was like-- oh, oh, sorry about that.

1269
01:19:59,883 --> 01:20:00,717
Sorry.

1270
01:20:03,178 --> 01:20:05,430
It's a hearing thing, I know.

1271
01:20:05,514 --> 01:20:07,432
[music resumes] ♪ Mr. Blue Sky… ♪

1272
01:20:07,516 --> 01:20:09,935
I opened up the newspaper, the front page.

1273
01:20:10,686 --> 01:20:14,648
♪ …for so long
Where did we go wrong?… ♪

1274
01:20:14,731 --> 01:20:16,316
I got chills.

1275
01:20:16,400 --> 01:20:17,776
What started as a student protest

1276
01:20:17,860 --> 01:20:20,904
at the nation's only liberal
arts college for the Deaf

1277
01:20:20,988 --> 01:20:22,823
is commanding national attention tonight.

1278
01:20:22,906 --> 01:20:24,616
I'm in sympathy with the students.

1279
01:20:24,700 --> 01:20:25,659
I think it's imperative.

1280
01:20:25,742 --> 01:20:27,369
I think it's a good idea.

1281
01:20:28,078 --> 01:20:30,539
It just exploded and it was strong.

1282
01:20:31,081 --> 01:20:32,583
[telephones ringing]

1283
01:20:32,666 --> 01:20:34,877
[news anchor] And more calls
came from across the nation

1284
01:20:34,960 --> 01:20:36,920
pledging support and dollars.

1285
01:20:37,588 --> 01:20:39,339
[man] Financial contributions can be sent

1286
01:20:39,423 --> 01:20:43,719
to National Association of the Deaf,
care of the Deaf President Now campaign.

1287
01:20:44,970 --> 01:20:47,055
[news anchor] In fact, the students claim
to have already collected

1288
01:20:47,139 --> 01:20:50,267
in excess of $27,000 for their cause.

1289
01:20:50,350 --> 01:20:52,644
[young Greg] We are becoming stronger

1290
01:20:52,728 --> 01:20:54,980
and we are becoming bigger
and bigger as a group.

1291
01:20:56,148 --> 01:20:59,276
People were continuously
asking me for interviews.

1292
01:20:59,359 --> 01:21:00,360
[news anchor] Greg "Hle-bok".

1293
01:21:00,444 --> 01:21:01,695
[news anchor 2] Greg Hlibok.

1294
01:21:01,778 --> 01:21:03,322
He is Greg "Hill-bok."

1295
01:21:03,822 --> 01:21:05,824
Someone came over and
handed me a microphone

1296
01:21:05,908 --> 01:21:09,077
and I said, "Oh, no, I don't need that.
No, I'm good. Thank you."

1297
01:21:09,703 --> 01:21:11,747
[news anchor] Don't you think
they had the best interest

1298
01:21:11,830 --> 01:21:13,081
of the university in mind?

1299
01:21:13,582 --> 01:21:14,458
No.

1300
01:21:14,541 --> 01:21:16,585
♪ Hey there, Mr. Blue… ♪

1301
01:21:16,668 --> 01:21:17,669
[news anchor] It's our understanding

1302
01:21:17,753 --> 01:21:21,089
that there are busloads of people
from all over the country

1303
01:21:21,173 --> 01:21:23,550
who are coming in here to participate.

1304
01:21:24,927 --> 01:21:27,137
[young Tim]
We're not only receiving reports

1305
01:21:27,221 --> 01:21:29,014
from across the country,
but around the world.

1306
01:21:29,097 --> 01:21:30,682
In Sweden, Germany, Africa.

1307
01:21:31,683 --> 01:21:33,477
We got a fax from China.

1308
01:21:33,936 --> 01:21:36,605
I didn't understand the Chinese language,

1309
01:21:36,688 --> 01:21:39,399
but there was a picture
of this person cheering.

1310
01:21:44,571 --> 01:21:46,865
It's the beginning of our
civil rights movement.

1311
01:21:48,659 --> 01:21:50,285
[news anchor] When you say
Gallaudet students

1312
01:21:50,369 --> 01:21:52,538
have been oppressed,
what do you mean by that?

1313
01:21:52,621 --> 01:21:55,916
[young Greg] Do white people speak
for Black people at the university?

1314
01:21:57,125 --> 01:21:59,086
[Tim] There were a lot
of African Americans

1315
01:21:59,169 --> 01:22:00,587
on the street cheering us on.

1316
01:22:01,797 --> 01:22:02,881
They understood.

1317
01:22:04,633 --> 01:22:08,428
[news anchor] For many years, the Deaf
have been a rather passive minority.

1318
01:22:10,722 --> 01:22:12,683
This week, they've been
a rather demanding one.

1319
01:22:13,892 --> 01:22:16,353
♪ Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why… ♪

1320
01:22:16,436 --> 01:22:20,274
[young Greg] Hearing people
tell us what they can do for us.

1321
01:22:20,357 --> 01:22:22,568
They tend to say that, "We will help you,"

1322
01:22:22,651 --> 01:22:25,404
but what we're asking for…

1323
01:22:25,487 --> 01:22:27,489
- Is to do it yourselves?
- Yes.

1324
01:22:27,573 --> 01:22:29,700
["Mr. Blue Sky" continues]

1325
01:22:29,783 --> 01:22:31,702
[congressman]
We express our disappointment

1326
01:22:31,785 --> 01:22:34,830
in the action of the trustees.
The students of Gallaudet are right.

1327
01:22:34,913 --> 01:22:38,458
The time has come for the trustees
to admit that they made a mistake.

1328
01:22:39,042 --> 01:22:40,169
We're not gonna stop.

1329
01:22:40,252 --> 01:22:41,628
We are gonna continue to fight.

1330
01:22:41,712 --> 01:22:43,630
[Greg] Before, we were in the dark…

1331
01:22:43,714 --> 01:22:44,840
[crowd chanting]

1332
01:22:45,424 --> 01:22:47,759
…so now the world could see us.

1333
01:22:47,843 --> 01:22:49,887
We're getting stronger and stronger

1334
01:22:49,970 --> 01:22:52,014
and we're really strong now.

1335
01:22:52,097 --> 01:22:54,224
["Mr. Blue Sky" fades]

1336
01:22:54,308 --> 01:22:56,101
[crowd cheering]

1337
01:22:56,185 --> 01:23:00,522
[Jordan] Until that point,
I thought it was just a student protest.

1338
01:23:01,148 --> 01:23:03,066
And it took me a little time

1339
01:23:03,150 --> 01:23:07,196
to understand this is not just a protest.

1340
01:23:07,279 --> 01:23:09,239
This is a revolution.

1341
01:23:15,120 --> 01:23:17,122
And I sat there thinking,

1342
01:23:17,623 --> 01:23:19,583
"What have I done?

1343
01:23:19,666 --> 01:23:21,543
I'm dean now…

1344
01:23:22,544 --> 01:23:25,339
but I will be Deaf forever."

1345
01:23:26,715 --> 01:23:28,133
[young Jordan] Yesterday,

1346
01:23:28,217 --> 01:23:33,805
I gave a statement recognizing
the legal authority of the board

1347
01:23:33,889 --> 01:23:36,725
to name the president
of Gallaudet University.

1348
01:23:37,643 --> 01:23:42,356
In fact, my personal reaction
to the board's decision

1349
01:23:42,439 --> 01:23:44,900
was and is anger.

1350
01:23:45,651 --> 01:23:50,155
I must now publicly affirm my support

1351
01:23:50,239 --> 01:23:54,368
for the point of view held
by the Gallaudet community.

1352
01:23:55,202 --> 01:23:59,331
Then King says, "I made a mistake,"

1353
01:23:59,831 --> 01:24:02,417
and we're like, "Oh, oh."

1354
01:24:02,835 --> 01:24:05,712
[young Jordan] We often say
that the best teacher

1355
01:24:05,796 --> 01:24:07,589
is a good learner.

1356
01:24:07,673 --> 01:24:11,635
Gallaudet University has been learning
a great deal from its students.

1357
01:24:12,261 --> 01:24:15,931
They have become our teachers.

1358
01:24:16,014 --> 01:24:21,019
All Deaf people owe Gallaudet students
a debt of gratitude

1359
01:24:21,103 --> 01:24:25,065
for insisting that our time is now.

1360
01:24:25,148 --> 01:24:28,068
[crowd roars]

1361
01:24:28,151 --> 01:24:30,362
[reporter] Joining me now live,
here at Gallaudet

1362
01:24:30,445 --> 01:24:32,406
is one of the student
leaders, Bridget Bourne.

1363
01:24:32,489 --> 01:24:34,783
Can you give us some student reaction

1364
01:24:34,867 --> 01:24:37,286
to Dr. Jordan's change of heart?

1365
01:24:38,328 --> 01:24:40,372
[Bridgetta] He had this awakening.

1366
01:24:41,081 --> 01:24:43,083
It was like, "I get it."

1367
01:24:45,127 --> 01:24:48,589
He became a better, new Deaf person.

1368
01:24:49,381 --> 01:24:52,426
He realized that instead of,
"Oh, I've lost…"

1369
01:24:53,260 --> 01:24:54,303
No.

1370
01:24:56,221 --> 01:24:58,015
It's okay to be Deaf.

1371
01:24:58,932 --> 01:25:01,810
[orchestral music]

1372
01:25:01,894 --> 01:25:04,605
[reporter] Yesterday
you stood with President Zinser.

1373
01:25:04,688 --> 01:25:06,356
Tonight, if they're watching

1374
01:25:06,440 --> 01:25:08,984
or if you have a message for them,
what would it be?

1375
01:25:11,820 --> 01:25:14,239
I would ask Dr. Zinser
to look into her heart…

1376
01:25:16,700 --> 01:25:19,453
to look at what's
happening around the nation,

1377
01:25:19,536 --> 01:25:21,747
and really think very seriously

1378
01:25:21,830 --> 01:25:24,041
about what this means to the Deaf world.

1379
01:25:25,250 --> 01:25:26,877
[musical swell]

1380
01:25:26,960 --> 01:25:28,295
[abrupt silence]

1381
01:25:34,593 --> 01:25:36,720
[TTY beeping]

1382
01:25:45,521 --> 01:25:48,023
[Zinser] I arrived at Gallaudet University

1383
01:25:49,274 --> 01:25:51,527
to find a growing crisis.

1384
01:25:58,742 --> 01:25:59,952
[Greg] I woke up…

1385
01:26:01,745 --> 01:26:05,123
Apparently the night before,
when everyone was asleep,

1386
01:26:06,416 --> 01:26:08,669
there had been a press conference.

1387
01:26:10,629 --> 01:26:14,383
[Zinser] The symbol of this office
is so significant

1388
01:26:14,466 --> 01:26:17,928
that we must respond to that larger issue.

1389
01:26:18,929 --> 01:26:20,764
I concluded therefore

1390
01:26:20,848 --> 01:26:23,350
that the best way to restore order

1391
01:26:23,433 --> 01:26:24,852
was to tender my resignation.

1392
01:26:24,935 --> 01:26:26,478
[silence]

1393
01:26:27,354 --> 01:26:29,857
Wow, she actually resigned!

1394
01:26:38,532 --> 01:26:41,326
And everyone said,
"The TTY, it's for you."

1395
01:26:45,706 --> 01:26:48,166
So I had to go across campus.

1396
01:26:57,801 --> 01:27:01,096
[suspenseful music]

1397
01:27:03,473 --> 01:27:07,060
And when I got into the van
they stepped on it.

1398
01:27:07,644 --> 01:27:10,439
I didn't even have
a chance to close the door.

1399
01:27:17,654 --> 01:27:21,283
The TTY was in a glass cubicle.

1400
01:27:22,743 --> 01:27:26,705
Like a mini fishbowl,
and everyone's staring at me.

1401
01:27:26,788 --> 01:27:28,790
[keyboard clacking, TTY beeping]

1402
01:27:33,670 --> 01:27:35,589
[Jerry] I was right next to Greg.

1403
01:27:36,173 --> 01:27:40,677
It was me, Tim, Bridgetta, the four of us.

1404
01:27:42,304 --> 01:27:43,931
We were really close.

1405
01:27:50,354 --> 01:27:52,731
[Greg] And it said,
"Who are your siblings?"

1406
01:27:53,649 --> 01:27:56,693
To verify I'm not some
imposter on the keyboard.

1407
01:28:02,574 --> 01:28:04,618
[board member] …Jane Bassett Spilman.

1408
01:28:05,285 --> 01:28:08,247
She does have a statement
to share with you.

1409
01:28:08,330 --> 01:28:09,581
Mrs. Spilman?

1410
01:28:11,500 --> 01:28:12,876
[Spilman] Good evening.

1411
01:28:14,628 --> 01:28:17,881
There was, as we have all
come to realize this week,

1412
01:28:17,965 --> 01:28:20,801
a serious gap in our understanding

1413
01:28:20,884 --> 01:28:24,346
of the complexity
of the problems we faced.

1414
01:28:24,429 --> 01:28:28,058
In the minds of some,
I have become an obstacle

1415
01:28:28,141 --> 01:28:30,310
to the future of the university.

1416
01:28:36,859 --> 01:28:40,612
And because I care very deeply
about Gallaudet's future,

1417
01:28:41,113 --> 01:28:43,323
I am removing that obstacle.

1418
01:28:44,449 --> 01:28:46,410
Today, I submitted my resignation.

1419
01:28:53,584 --> 01:28:56,170
[Greg] The cubicle was just shaking.

1420
01:28:56,253 --> 01:29:00,549
The TTY just started to have random
characters running across it.

1421
01:29:07,347 --> 01:29:09,057
[Spilman] The board was not simply

1422
01:29:09,141 --> 01:29:12,144
called upon to select a president,

1423
01:29:12,227 --> 01:29:15,272
but to aid in the consummation of a dream.

1424
01:29:16,190 --> 01:29:18,442
The elevation of a Deaf person

1425
01:29:18,525 --> 01:29:20,068
to the presidency

1426
01:29:20,152 --> 01:29:22,946
of the greatest educational institution

1427
01:29:23,030 --> 01:29:25,407
of the Deaf and hearing impaired

1428
01:29:25,490 --> 01:29:26,491
in the world.

1429
01:29:26,575 --> 01:29:28,368
[TTY beeping frantically]

1430
01:29:30,412 --> 01:29:33,123
[musical swell]

1431
01:29:34,875 --> 01:29:36,793
[Spilman] The students and their leaders:

1432
01:29:37,377 --> 01:29:38,504
Tim,

1433
01:29:39,296 --> 01:29:40,422
Bridgetta,

1434
01:29:40,506 --> 01:29:41,632
Greg,

1435
01:29:41,715 --> 01:29:43,091
Jerry.

1436
01:29:43,175 --> 01:29:45,093
You have found unity,

1437
01:29:45,177 --> 01:29:47,763
built strength and purpose,

1438
01:29:47,846 --> 01:29:49,389
shown courage,

1439
01:29:49,473 --> 01:29:51,099
and discovered power

1440
01:29:51,183 --> 01:29:53,602
to affect your own future.

1441
01:29:54,102 --> 01:29:57,105
[crowd cheering]

1442
01:30:00,359 --> 01:30:02,361
[news anchor]
Students at Gallaudet University tonight

1443
01:30:02,444 --> 01:30:05,697
are hailing what they are calling
the start of a brave new era.

1444
01:30:09,076 --> 01:30:11,495
[reporter] There will be no reprisals
against the students

1445
01:30:11,578 --> 01:30:12,955
for their protest,

1446
01:30:13,038 --> 01:30:16,291
and a majority of Deaf people
will be put on the board.

1447
01:30:17,417 --> 01:30:20,587
[crowd chanting] King! King! King!

1448
01:30:22,840 --> 01:30:25,384
[young Jordan] This week, we can truly say

1449
01:30:25,467 --> 01:30:28,679
that we, together and united,

1450
01:30:28,762 --> 01:30:32,683
have overcome our own reluctance
to stand for our rights.

1451
01:30:33,183 --> 01:30:35,561
[crowd cheering triumphantly]

1452
01:30:48,991 --> 01:30:49,908
Deaf Power!

1453
01:30:49,992 --> 01:30:51,785
Deaf Power! Deaf Power!

1454
01:30:51,869 --> 01:30:55,163
Deaf Power! Deaf Power! Deaf Power!

1455
01:31:03,630 --> 01:31:06,842
[cheers and applause]

1456
01:31:06,925 --> 01:31:09,219
How do I feel?

1457
01:31:11,805 --> 01:31:14,766
Out of this world.

1458
01:31:14,850 --> 01:31:17,477
I can't explain it.

1459
01:31:18,020 --> 01:31:20,022
I just felt so proud.

1460
01:31:21,023 --> 01:31:22,774
I had never been so proud

1461
01:31:23,400 --> 01:31:24,651
to be Deaf.

1462
01:31:29,489 --> 01:31:31,617
We are one!

1463
01:31:33,327 --> 01:31:34,328
[Jerry] We just forgot

1464
01:31:34,411 --> 01:31:37,039
everything that happened
between us that week.

1465
01:31:39,833 --> 01:31:42,920
We hear all the time,
"You can't, you can't."

1466
01:31:43,003 --> 01:31:45,464
We're like, "No, not this time.

1467
01:31:45,547 --> 01:31:46,840
Deaf can."

1468
01:31:48,008 --> 01:31:50,093
[Bridgetta] I was looking around thinking,

1469
01:31:50,677 --> 01:31:55,641
being Deaf in a hearing world,
it doesn't stop you from anything.

1470
01:31:59,770 --> 01:32:03,398
You will remember this forever!

1471
01:32:03,982 --> 01:32:05,984
[Tim] I talked to my grandfather.

1472
01:32:06,735 --> 01:32:09,571
He said, "You were right."

1473
01:32:13,534 --> 01:32:16,370
My heart felt heavy.

1474
01:32:18,747 --> 01:32:21,834
To see my grandfather say that to me.

1475
01:32:22,709 --> 01:32:24,753
I must have done something right.

1476
01:32:24,837 --> 01:32:28,131
[students cheering]

1477
01:32:30,801 --> 01:32:33,887
[music swells]

1478
01:32:39,643 --> 01:32:41,937
The world thinks we're nothing!

1479
01:32:42,312 --> 01:32:43,814
Are we nothing?

1480
01:32:43,897 --> 01:32:45,899
[crowd] No!

1481
01:32:46,525 --> 01:32:49,403
- Are we nothing?
- [crowd] No!

1482
01:32:49,486 --> 01:32:50,988
[abrupt silence]

1483
01:32:51,071 --> 01:32:54,950
We will be heard!

1484
01:32:55,033 --> 01:32:57,035
[silence]

1485
01:34:01,808 --> 01:34:04,895
[percussive music]

1486
01:35:43,202 --> 01:35:45,204
[orchestral music]